Judiciary chief Sadeq Amoli Larijani called on authorities in his organization to double their efforts to combat the menace of smuggling in the country, acknowledging that there has been negligence in this matter. Larijani, however, concurred that “The judicial system may not be the sole responsible party in this issue, but could have played a much stronger role,” he told a meeting attended by attorney generals and justices on Wednesday, IRNA reported. He said all organizations should cooperate in the war with “this devastating crime” because no entity alone can eradicate it. Pointing out the “negligence” and “lax handling” of smuggling cases in the courts, he called for stricter moves by judiciary authorities to curb the goods trafficking scourge that has imposed monumental costs on the national economy for decades. “Reports indicate violations in some customs offices in collusion (with customs officials) pave the way for illicit import,” he said, calling on the administrative and judicial officials to work out the issue hand-in-hand. An estimated $25 billion in contraband and currency was smuggled in and out of the country in the last fiscal year (ended on March 20), the top judiciary official said.
