MUMBAI, July 3: The import of 6,000 metric tonnes of the best Italian marble import of which is banned worth over Rs 8.39 crore has been cleared by the customs authorities by taking advantage of the loopholes in the Customs Tariff Act.

According to market sources, the importer has been identified as Carrara Marble and Granite Industries. The import of marble is banned unless for re-exports. However, even in the case of re-export, the importer needs an import licence. Earlier, importers used to bring in Italian marble using the duty-exemption entitlement certificate (DEEC) scheme. But since November 1996, this route was closed by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT).

To get around the import ban, the importer apparently labelled the marble consignment as `honed' or `planned' marble to classify it as some `other' form of marble. However, in the harmonised system of nomenclature, there is no mention of marble `honed' or `planned', both of which suggest that the stone was partially processed.

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