U.S. consul denies that American diplomats were involved in a car smuggling
The United States consul general in Vladivostok in eastern Russia dismissed Thursday a local media report that American diplomats were involved in a car smuggling operation in the region from the U.S. and Japan.
Tom Armbruster told a news conference he was surprised at the report, which said that American diplomats were selling foreign cars avoiding customs duties and taxes. Under Russian law, diplomats have the right to buy cars without paying customs duties if these cars are later taken out of Russia.
He assured journalists that the U.S. consulate observed the law, and had sold only one car to a Russian national under an official contract, which placed all the tax obligations on the buyer.
The article published in a local newspaper Thursday said law enforcement officials had launched an inquiry into the allegations. "In ten years, American consulate employees in Vladivostok have transported several dozen custom-free cars from the U.S. and Japan across the Russian border," the local paper said.
Russian News
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