Control
The main control body for CITES in the Czech Republic is the Czech Environmental Inspectorate, which controls compliance with laws in the field of CITES, can impose measures and ascertain the identity of persons. The CEI imposes fines for violations of the law (block, misdemeanor or administrative proceedings). In case of doubt, the CEI will detain and confiscate suspected CITES specimens. The person whose specimen is detained is obliged to hand it over to the Inspectorate or customs authority. If they fail to do so, their specimen may be confiscated.
The CEI’s inspectors are authorized to enter buildings, breeding or cultivation facilities or land during their inspection activities. They can request an explanation or the presentation of documents, they can view the specimen and its identification markings and obtain documentation. In justified cases, the inspected person is obliged to allow the collection of blood or another sample from the specimen.
Another CITES control body is the Customs Administration, which carries out control over goods subject to customs supervision and has the power to detain suspicious specimens.
Penalties for breaking the law
In case of non-compliance with the obligations established by law, it is possible to impose a fine of up to CZK 1,500,000 on individuals and business entities (a more detailed description can be found in Sections 34c and 34d of Act No. 100/2004 Coll., as amended). Specimens may also be confiscated.
In serious cases, it is also possible to solve the case according to the criminal law (they are solved by special units of the Customs Administration or the Police of the Czech Republic). The person in question can then be punished with imprisonment for up to eight years, a ban on activity or a fine.
Important note: In many countries, the illegal export of CITES specimens is severely punished, both under the CITES Convention and under local laws - in some cases up to several years in prison and heavy fines!!!