According to the report, the 19 cases of illegal cabotage occurred in the period September 2019 to December 2021 in different areas of Norway.
Tungt.no writes that the prosecutor asked for Girmeta to be sentenced to a fine of NOK 456,000. The defense requested that the haulage company receive a more lenient punishment.
Moreover, the report states that cabotage cases that concern the trial mostly stemmed from formal errors in the case of missing or insufficient documentation. It is said that in those cases, had the company subsequently provided the documentation, the cabotage would have been legal.
Tungt.no writes that in 17 seperate checks, the Norwegian Road Administration found errors with Girmeta’s international transport documentation with regards to cabotage.
Girteka has since issued an official statement on the matter.
It reads as follows:
We would like to address an ongoing legal matter concerning one of our affiliated transportation companies, UAB “Girmeta,” which has been accused of 19 violations of cabotage regulations in Norway between 2019 and 2021. “Girmeta” has not agreed with the fines issued, maintaining that the deliveries in question were done following all laws.
For the past 27 years, “Girteka” has been primarily focused on international transportation within Europe, strictly adhering to the laws and regulations of each country we operate in. Domestic deliveries represent only a small fraction of our business. Since 2018, we put extra efforts to understand cabotage regulations in Norway and stick to it. In collaboration with Norwegian law firms, we have sought clarification from various Norwegian authorities, including the NFL, Vegvesen, and the Ministry of Transport, on the proper documentation of cabotage carriages.
The court has recently ruled on all 19 cases, issuing fines for 17 of them. We are assessing the court’s decision and have not yet decided whether we will appeal any of these cases. Despite our decision on verdict, we will analyse the cases once again and see possibilities for adjusting our practices for documenting cabotage operations and provide relevant training to our drivers and employees. Although court involvement is needed to clarify cabotage regulations, we consider this a step forward in promoting increased transparency and understanding in the industry.
We remain committed to fostering a more transparent road freight transport sector and continue to welcome audits from government institutions, clients, and independent audit firms to ensure compliance with all relevant laws and regulations.
We believe that our decision to pursue hearings in court will ultimately benefit the entire transport sector, contributing to the clarification of rules and laws in Norway and enabling our continued operations in the country.
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