Amid an increase in attempts to bring cash from Russia and Belarus into Lithuania, the government proposes imposing harsher punishments.
The Lithuanian cabinet approved on Wednesday legislative amendments to increase fines for providing inaccurate information on the origin, ownership, and purpose of money.
The parliament will be asked to adopt the legislation under a fast-track procedure.
“Often, to avoid the obligation to declare cash, individuals crossing the border in groups split up the money they are carrying into smaller amounts of less than 10,000 euros,” the Finance Ministry has said.
The proposed amendments to the Code of Administrative Offences and the Law on Tax Administration call for a fine of between 390 and 1,200 euros for inaccurate information on cash brought across the border and between 1,040 and 3,900 euros for a repeated violation.
Currently, a person can be fined between 200 and 1,200 euros for inaccurate information on cash, which is not an effective punishment, according to the ministry.
In December and January, Lithuanian customs officers recorded 84 cases of Russian, Belarusian, Polish, and Lithuanian citizens attempting to bring around 1.05 million euros into the country.
“According to data obtained by the Lithuanian Customs in cooperation with European law enforcement authorities, the money may be linked to criminal activities and hostilities in Ukraine,” the ministry said.
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