MP from France asks a fine for the company that imported from Brazil – 06/20/2023 – Market

The MP (Public Ministry) of the French city of Rennes asked for the imposition of a fine of 165,000 euros (about R$ 860,000) on the company ISB France on suspicion of “failure to fulfill its obligations” by importing wood from Brazil.

The amount of the fine corresponds to the “purchase price of US$ 180,375 [cerca de R$ 860 mil]” from four batches of ipe boards cut in the state of Pará between December 2016 and July 2017, according to the MP.

Wood paneling manufacturer ISB France is a defendant in a criminal court for “putting on the market […] wood products not complying with the due diligence system”.

The investigation was opened after a complaint filed in November 2019 by Greenpeace, together with the France Nature Environment foundation and the Canopée association.

The due diligence system, implemented by the EU Timber Regulation of 2013, obliges companies that import timber to assess and reduce the risk of trading products of illicit origin.

According to the investigation, ISB France is accused of “chronological inconsistencies” between the dates of control and departure of the goods, pointed out an inspector from the French Office of Biodiversity.

The date on which one of the batches of planks was loaded onto the boat is more recent than the date on the note.

“The fact that we delivered a document a posteriori does not mean that it was not in our filing system”, claimed Marc Meunier, president of the company.

For his part, the company’s lawyer, William Pineau, asked for its acquittal, noting that “this quantity of wood represents 0.06% of ISB France’s annual business”, so it would not make sense to commit fraud with a type of wood that’s not your specialty.

The court will rule on the case on September 11.