Toys smuggled into country, court told

Press, 14 July 1982, Page 21

Toys smuggled into country, court told

PA Auckland An Auckland company and its managing-director have been fined a total of $14,900 for smuggling toys into NewZealand and breaching import control regulations. Guilty pleas were entered to the charges in the District Court at Auckland through counsel, Mr L. L. Stevens. The company. Nicholas Nathan. Ltd. of Takapuna, faced four charges, and its managing director. Nicholas David Nathan, faced two charges. Two charges against the company were laid under the Trade and Industry Act, that between June 6. 1979. and April 23. 1980. it imported from Hong Kong toys valued at $57,972, the importation of which was prohibited by the Import Control Regulations; ■ and that between May 24. 1980, and August 30. 1980. it imported toys valued at

$66,697, prohibited by the regulations. The company also faced two charges. under the Customs Act that between December 29. 1979. and March 9. 1981, it smuggled into New Zealand from Hong Kong toys together valued at $7186. and that between July 6. 1980. and August 12. 1980. it smuggled in tovs valued at $16,801. Nathan faced two charges that being a director of the company he knew of. and consented to. the offences against the Customs Act. The Court heard that the offences had a potential total maximum monetary penalty of more than s2' million, three times the value of the goods in New Zealand. The offences involved exceeding import licences held by the company, and the incorrect invoicing of documents.

Mr M. T. Shand, for the Crown, said that the goods would be forfeit to the Crown. Mr Stevens said that complex classification issues had been involved in the charges laid under the Trade and Industry Act. The financial impact of the charges of the company had been devastating, the total direct losses were in excess of $115,000. and there has also been indirect losses. The company had been restructured and was no longer involved in importing toys, said Mr Stevens. Judge Imrie convicted and fined the company $7OOO on each of the charges laid under the Trade and Industry Act. He fined the company $3OO on each of the other charges and fined Nathan $l5O on each of the charges he faced.