Individual Corruption

Bolivian households report that their interaction with customs administration often involves bribery. For example, in Transparency International's Global Corruption Barometer 2010, one out of three respondents who had contact with Bolivian customs in 2009 report to have paid a bribe.

Business Corruption

Time-consuming bureaucracy related to trade across borders also opens the way for public officials to demand bribes. According to the World Economic Forum Global Enabling Trade Report 2010, trade in Bolivia is impeded by customs procedures, which remain largely inefficient. In addition, according to the report, exporting and importing require much time and paperwork to clear goods at the border, and the process is plagued by corruption and bribery.

According to the director of the Unit for the Fight against Corruption in the Customs Denisse León, the National Customs Service is struggling with corruption and smuggling. In an August 2008 article in the newspaper Razón, León reports that bribery, influence peddling and falsification of documents are some of the cases detected by the Unit. Bribes may amount to USD 20 for an import declaration and between USD 3,500 and 5,000 per truck.

The Bolivian newspaper La Prensa reports in a December 2009 article that the National Customs Service seized several tons of contraband medicaments and raw materials for producing medical drugs during raids conducted in Santa Cruz against alleged clandestine networks engaging in counterfeiting of medicaments.

Political Corruption

The National Customs Service has frequently been accused of large-scale corruption and of contributing to the inflow of contraband to Bolivia. According to a March 2008 article from Diario Hispano Boliviano, the Administrative Director of the Customs Baldivia Unzaga was dismissed from office after having received between USD 50 and 80 thousand from 18 individuals he had promised positions in the Customs. Several corruption cases have marred the National Customs Services and, between October 2007 and January 2008, 8 executives and 12 public officials were removed in consequence of engaging in corrupt acts.

In February 2010, the minister of the Ministry for Institutional Transparency and the Fight Against Corruption (in Spanish) revealed during an interview, that evidence was building up against an organised crime group with alleged links to the judicial system, tax authorities and customs services. It was also revealed that this corrupt network included directors from the National Bolivian Customs.

According to the US Department of State 2009, corruption in the National Customs Service has fallen since the August 1999 Customs Reform Law, but contraband continues to cross the Bolivian borders.

Frequency

The World Bank & IFC: Doing Business 2011:
- A standard export shipment of goods requires 8 documents and takes 19 days at an average cost of USD 1,425 per container.

- A standard import shipment of goods requires 7 documents and takes 23 days at an average cost of USD 1,747 per container.

World Economic Forum: The Global Enabling Trade Report 2010:
- Business executives give the efficiency of customs procedures (formalities regulating the entry and exit of merchandise) in Bolivia a score of 2.8 on a 7-point scale (1 'extremely inefficient' and 7 'extremely efficient').

- Business executives give the transparency of border administration (pervasiveness of undocumented extra payments or bribes connected with imports and exports) a score of 2.5 on a 7-point scale (1 'extremely inefficient' and 7 'extremely efficient').

Transparency International: Global Corruption Barometer 2010:
- More than 33% of households who had contact with customs throughout 2009 report to have paid a bribe.

The World Bank & IFC: Enterprise Surveys 2006:
- Close to 16% of companies expect to give gifts to get an import licence.

- It can take up to 33 days to clear direct exports and up to 51 days to claim imports, approximately twice the regional averages.