ST. PETERSBURG, November 26 - RAPSI. The Constitutional Court has ruled to toughen customs fines for legal entities, stressing that they may be subject to higher penalty sanctions, according to the court materials.

The case was considered after an appeal filed by the Avesta company.

In December 2011, the company brought polyethylene cigar packages into Russia from Finland. A number of the goods went undeclared.

In February 2012, Avesta was brought to administrative liability for illegally importing the goods.

A fine was then imposed, according to the court. The market price of the goods in Russia, defined by experts, was used while calculating the fine amount.

The applicant said that this allows courts to use market prices in Russia to calculate fines for legal entities. At the same time, the amount may not correspond to the company's purchase expenses abroad, the applicant said.

In July 2010, the Constitutional Court validated the provisions regarding customs violations committed by individuals importing goods for personal consumption. The court stressed that the prices for the same goods sold in different countries and imported into Russia may vary greatly.

However, the court has now concluded that the legal position is not applicable to legal entities, as they know the market price of the goods that they are seeking to sell, as well as the liability for committing customs violations. Thus, their penalty sanctions may be higher.