Customs boss Vicente S?nchez Baret has given a five-day grace period to all those with pending debts with the Customs department. As of next Monday 5 August, S?nchez says that the possessors of unpaid debts will be taken to
court.
According to the List?n Diario, the Director General of Customs was emphatic, saying that there would be no more leeway given to those with articles held in Customs. C?ndida Acosta, the journalist who wrote the article, also said that the head of
Customs would send a list of the names of all those in violation of the regulations to the National Association of Young Entrepreneurs (ANJE), once the new grace period was over and the accounts were clear.
In response, Marisol Vicens, the president of ANJE, said her organization was not an appropriate choice as recipient of any list of wrongdoers, but rather the general public should have access to the names. She continued by saying that her
association had always championed transparency and was opposed to favoritism of any group or secret agreements between certain sectors of the economy and government officials. Therefore, she said, the suggestion that the Director General of Customs
should deliver ANJE a list of violators of the customs regulations behind closed doors smacks of privilege and would not resolve the problem.
Vicens reminded reporters that S?nchez Baret?s previous threat to publish a list of tax evaders came only after ANJE suggested that government officials devoting themselves to their political campaigns should resign their posts, in adherence to the
law, so that others could concentrate fully on the business of government.