PART 6OFFENCES, ENFORCEMENT AND PENALTIES

Customs powers relating to dual-use goods40

1

Goods in relation to which a licence has not been granted and which are brought to any place in the United Kingdom for the purpose of being exported may be detained by the proper officer of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs as if they were liable to forfeiture, if and so long as that officer has reason to believe that a competent authority (after, if necessary, having had the impending exportation brought to its attention) might inform the exporter—

a

that the goods are or may be intended, in their entirety or in part, for WMD purposes; or

b

as provided in Article 4(2) (military end-use control) or 4(3) (end-use control relating to use in items exported or transferred without authorisation) of the dual-use Regulation.

2

Any goods listed in Annex I to the dual-use Regulation in relation to which a licence has been granted which are brought to any place in the United Kingdom for the purpose of being exported to a destination outside the customs territory may be detained by a proper officer of Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs for a period of ten working days as if they were liable to forfeiture where that officer or the Secretary of State has grounds for suspicion that—

a

relevant information was not taken into account when the licence was granted; or

b

circumstances have materially changed since the issue of the licence,

provided that the period shall be extended to 30 working days where the Secretary of State certifies that a request for such an extension in accordance with Article 12(4) (customs procedures) of the dual-use Regulation has been received from the member State which granted the licence.

3

In this article, “working day” means a day that is not a Saturday or Sunday, Christmas Day, Good Friday or any day that is a bank holiday under the Banking and Financial Dealings Act 197121 in the part of the United Kingdom where the goods referred to in paragraph (2) have been detained.