Financial Crime World

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Finnish Customs Report: Trends and Activities in Combating Economic Crime and Counterfeit Goods (2023)

The volume of large-volume detentions has decreased in recent years due to reduced eastbound transit traffic. However, this shift has led to an increase in detentions focused on postal and express freight traffic, reflecting the surge in online trade.

Challenges in Online Trade Controls

  • Detentions are now concentrated on small packages transported through online purchases.
  • Small package controls pose a significant challenge for Customs due to their sheer volume and varied nature.

Investigation of Economic Crime

Finnish Customs investigates suspected economic offences, including tax fraud and aggravated tax fraud. The societal impact of these investigations was substantial in 2023:

Societal Impact and Recovered Proceeds

  • The societal impact of economic crime prevention by Customs totalled 103.2 million euros in 2023.
  • Recovered proceeds of economic crime amounted to 8.2 million euros in 2023.

Sanctions against Russia

Finnish Customs has been closely monitoring sanctions-related activities between Finland and Russia:

Monitoring Sanctions Compliance

  • Over 8,000 cases of goods transports were processed under the monitoring of sanctions based on customs declarations.
  • The number of regulation offences increased significantly since 2022, highlighting the complexity and challenges in enforcing sanctions.

Prosecutor’s Duty and District Courts

The prosecution process for suspected economic crimes involves several key stakeholders:

Decision-Making and Case Handling

  • The prosecutor decides whether to press charges in cases of suspected economic crime.
  • District courts decide cases of financial crime as the court of first instance, with median handling times ranging from approximately 150 to 300 days.