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Bribe alert: At this PMR border crossing, Western passport holders have been singled out for petty shakedowns

NOVY GOYAN (Tiraspol Times) - Immigration control officer number M-133 tries to hide his badge, as he takes away a British visitor's invitation and then demands money to return it. With no apparent supervisor nearby, the victim, Ian Degarnham, was forced to dig into his pocket and come up with 20 Ukrainian Hryvnia (approx. $4) in order to enter Pridnestrovie.

Like Ian Degarnham, other tourists with Western passports have recently reported the emergence of petty theft and small scale corruption at Pridnestrovie border crossings.

The incidents by rogue law enforcement staff have officials worried, because the very first thing that a new tourist sees when he comes to Pridnestrovie is the border crossing and its staff.

" - You only get one chance to make a good first impression," says Gennady Stepankin, an official with the PMR State Customs Commission. "So it is important that we greet visitors in a polite, professional, and that above all, we show that we are an honest country where the rule of law is enforced."

Problems at Pervomaisk

" - I live in Ukraine and would love to visit Transdniestria more often as my wife has family living there," says Ian Degarnham, asking PMR's authorities to clean the border of corrupt officials.
" - I support Transdniestria in its goal to get independence for all the reasons you do. However the border remains an open wound that must be closed if you are serious about getting people to visit."

The Pervomaisk border crossing has been singled out as one of the more problematic. CIS-country passport holders are whisked through easily, but European Union and USA citizens have reported numerous instances of border officials asking for bribes.

" - As the border is the first impression a visitor has to a new country, it is essential that the entry process be simplified to a more reasonable process," says Kevin Stillmock, an American investment manager who specializes in new and emerging markets. A frequent visitor to Pridnestrovie, Stillmock has met with PMR government officials and is advising them on how to attract foreign investment capital.

" - To be honest the problems now at the border are too exagerated," says Stillmock. "I've been to a lot of hot spots in the world. The Palestinian terrorities. Honestly, the border here is the worst."

Others disagree, saying that neighboring Moldova is far worse.
" - I have heard about the charges of bribery at the PMR border," says Marge Winter, an NGO volunteer from the United States. "But I have crossed it half a dozen times and never had a problem. In my experience, Moldova is far, far worse. They steal and don't even hide it."

Moldova, which is Europe's poorest country, was officially classified as a failed state in 2006. It is led by a Communist Party president, Vladimir Voronin, who is a former Soviet Union general.

However, local contacts are offering to help clear the hurdles. Potential visitors can contact tourism manager Alyona Vode of Spectrum Travel Company (disclaimer: one of the advertisers in Tiraspol Times).
They are located at: Spectrum, 23 Manoilov str., Tiraspol, PMR, Tel +373 533 77737, Fax +373 533 77775, email corporate@spectrumtravel.md and they offer transfers: for around $50, they'll shuttle visitors from either Odessa or Chisinau, clear the borders, and arrange for hotel check-in and registration in Tiraspol.

Don't blame the mirror if you have a crooked face

As visitors like Stillmock and Degarnham report their tales of woe, some in government are listening: They know that bent customs officials and crooked cops are a problem all over Eastern Europe, but that the local bad apples must go if Pridnestrovie wants to improve its image abroad.

Romania has the same problem, but to cut down on abuse, the Romanian government has now posted signs in English which state that "We cannot accept that our border officials do not process your documents promptly or that they do is in aggressive or discourteous fashion. We can not conceive that they would ask for a bribe or any other type of material benefit. Please use our 24 hot line for the border authority in the case of any unfortunate event."

This type of message posted at the border, with a live help phone number and e-mail, is a major deterrent for corruption. So are video cameras, as well as easy-to-find forms for filing an official complaint against corrupt or discourteous border officials, and explanations in English and other foreign languages explaining visa requirements so that foreign visitors will quickly understand the legal requirements.

Apart from officer M-133, one of the first to get fired will be his colleague-in-crime, an official who wears PMR badge number 014.

" - I have travelled all over the world, and I know that paying bribes is customary in some places," says Greg West, a foreigner who lives in Monaco.

" - But on leaving Pridnestrovie, I was hassled by a very obnoxious and unpleasant border guard (badge number 014) who immediately took me into the 'Customs Examination Room' and demanded to see all of my cash." Mr West was threatened with jail for not having declared his cash, but this was a pretext for soliciting a bribe.

" - Of course, then he said "do you have money for me" and let me go when I gave him US$5 plus EUR 10 and the small amount of Moldovan currency that I had."

The gain for the crooked customs cops is small. The loss, for the unrecognized country and its image, is enormous. Tiraspol Times will continue to follow developments as they unfold and will report on the steps that the authorities take to clamp down on this nickel and dime extortion at the border.

See also:
» Pridnestrovie stems tide of smuggling [1]

On the web:
» Tourist information: "Visit PMR" [2]
» File your complaint: PMR State Customs Committee [3]