The Minister of Finance spoke out about the shipment of aid ‘stuck’ in the warehouse for 6 months

The minister said that he did not know about the 6-month-old mask shipment that had not been cleared until the Vice Chairman of the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front gave his opinion at the group meeting of the National Assembly yesterday (May 25). .

“I have asked the General Department of Customs to just export the goods, the documents will be calculated laterMinister Ho Duc Phuc said and affirmed: “During the anti-epidemic period, the customs authorities have not caused any difficulties“.

Previously, when the COVID-19 epidemic peaked, especially in Ho Chi Minh City, the Ministry of Finance directed the General Department of Customs to create the fastest conditions to receive aid goods. In fact, there are cases where aid goods are cleared after only one day in Ho Chi Minh City.

The minister said that at that time, he had asked, even without papers, to still accept goods and owe documents because during the peak of the epidemic, many patients died.

However, after Decree 93 was issued, according to regulations with aid goods being masks, it must be certified by a health agency before customs will allow customs clearance.

The Finance Minister said that the customs authority had given advice and instructions to the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to receive this shipment, in which it made a request to the Ministry of Health for certification.

However, when the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front transferred to the Ministry of Health, the certificate was not received. The reason, according to Mr. Ho Duc Phuc, is that over the past time, the Ministry of Health has been meeting with inspectors and supervisors, so “there is no one to work”.

Also this afternoon, the General Department of Customs issued a notice explaining the case. According to this agency, at the time of the two shipments to Vietnam, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front did not have two documents, including the decision to receive aid from the competent authority (the Ministry of Health) and the declaration confirming receive aid certified by a financial institution. These are all documents that strictly meet the regulations on customs procedures for goods that are aid masks.

Currently, the declaration of aid has been actively canceled by the Ministry of Finance to match the anti-epidemic situation. However, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front has not yet obtained an import license from the Ministry of Health.

The General Department of Customs has directed Noi Bai and Tan Son Nhat Customs Branches to contact the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to reduce storage costs for two shipments. In the immediate future, the customs authority agrees to let the Commission register the declaration and return the goods for preservation and additionally submit the missing documents within 30 days.

This morning, the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front has contacted Tan Son Nhat Customs Branch and is making a paper declaration to bring the shipment of 599 packages to storage. This agency also scheduled Noi Bai Customs Branch to carry out procedures for importing masks including 29 packages today.

In order to clear this shipment of masks, the General Department of Customs asked the Central Committee of the Vietnam Fatherland Front to contact the Ministry of Health to supplement the missing documents according to regulations.