AEC applauds U.S. Custom's preliminary finding of duty evasion through Malaysia

The Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC), Wauconda, Ill., and the Aluminum Extruders Fair Trade Committee (AEFTC) applaud the U.S. Custom and Border Protection’s preliminary decision to impose interim measures on importers Sun Bright Intl. Corp. and Fair Importing Corp. for participating in a scheme to evade duties using fake country of origin certificates.

The report states, “In its allegations, AEFTC provided evidence to reasonably suggest that the Importers entered merchandise through evasion by a material false statement or act, or material omission that resulted in the reduction or avoidance of applicable AD and CVD cash deposits or other security. Information obtained by AEFTC reasonably suggested the Importers imported aluminum extrusions into the United States, and import data linked a falsified Certificate of Origin to a shipment of aluminum extrusions from the Malaysian manufacturer to Sun Bright as part of a scheme to transship Chinese origin aluminum extrusions through the Malaysian manufacturer to the Importers subject to the allegations. Thus, AEFTC provided evidence to reasonably suggest that the Importers were evading AD and CVD duties, for which no cash deposits were made, by entering the transshipped subject Chinese merchandise acquired via CK Aluminum and declaring it to be of Malaysian origin. For the foregoing reasons, TRLED determined on May 14, 2018, that the allegation reasonably suggests that Importers entered covered merchandise into the customs territory of the United States through evasion by a material false statement or act, or material omission, and initiated an investigation pursuant to 19 U.S.C § 1517 (b)(1).”