The Israel Tax Authority has reportedly filed a case against Gottex Models, Ltd., makers of mens and womens swimwear, at the Rishon LeZion Magistrates Court. Included in the complaint are two of the company’s top ranking officers.
According to media reports, officers Meir Goer and Eti Levy have evaded about 6 million sheqels or $1.47 million on import duties. Goer, who was the company’s Vice President and Deputy Chief Executive officer, currently serves as a Director while Levy is the Export Procurement Manager.
Court documents revealed that from the period 2003 to 2006, the company imported mens and womens swimwear from Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey. The clothes were reportedly bought in several countries and then sent to their factories.
Based on the country’s trade agreements with the aforementioned countries, swimwear items are exempted from customs duties provided that these were manufactured from clothes produced from an exporting country. The falsifications were allegedly discovered from the statements submitted by the factories.
Gottex was founded in 1949 by Leah and Ermine Gottleib in Hungary. In 1997, Africa-Israel group acquired the company and expanded the business from producing raincoats to manufacturing mens and womens swimwear line.
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