39It is beyond question that expiry of the three-year period laid down in Article 221(3) of the Customs Code, for the customs authorities to notify the debtor of the amount of the customs debt, is a bar on the right of those authorities to recover the debt, unless it is as a result of an act that could give rise to criminal court proceedings that the customs authorities were unable to determine the exact amount legally due. However, the provision at issue at the same time enacts a rule governing the customs debt itself, and thus establishes a rule on limitation in respect of the debt.