Habibollah Haghighi, head of the Central Headquarters for Combating Goods and Currency Smuggling, announced the return of $6.5 billion in currency to the country during a visit to the Smart Monitoring Center this morning. He emphasized that the long history of goods and currency smuggling in Iran is often due to unhealthy economic processes and conditions.
Need for Process Reforms
Haghighi stated that to effectively combat smuggling, attention must be paid to three stages: origin, route, and destination. He clarified that these stages should be examined integrally, and vulnerable points in all three sections should be identified and controlled. According to him, the use of data and smart systems can help identify existing gaps in these processes.
Read more: Head of Economic Security Police: We are in an Economic War with Enemies
Organizing the Activities of Border Residents and Porters
The head of the Central Headquarters for Combating Goods and Currency Smuggling also referred to organizing the activities of border residents and porters, stating that these actions could help create official income for the country and residents of border areas. He further mentioned the examination of cases related to the return of currency from exports, noting that since the beginning of 2018, approximately €60 to €70 billion in currency has been returned, a significant portion of which relates to the use of rented commercial cards.
Identifying Currency Debtors
Haghighi, referring to the difficulty of identifying the true owners of commercial cards, announced the identification of about a thousand currency debtors. He stated that 200 of these individuals have been invited for further examination. The goal of these follow-ups is to resolve debts and return resources to the country's economic cycle.
Emphasis on Appropriate Treatment of Economic Actors
Haghighi also emphasized the importance of how economic actors are treated, saying: "Many of the individuals active in this field are companies involved in export and import, and the way they are treated should be such that while correcting violations, the country's economic activities are not halted." He ultimately emphasized that approximately $6.5 billion of resources have returned to the country, of which $3.5 billion was retrieved through discovery and adjustments at the Central Bank, and nearly $3 billion was returned through documented follow-ups.
Actions in the Field of Fuel Smuggling
Haghighi also referred to actions taken in the field of fuel smuggling, stating: "In this area, the headquarters' approach is to organize activities and create controlled mechanisms to reduce the grounds for smuggling." He promised that details of these actions would be presented in future opportunities.
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