Cartier, Van Cleef and Hermes duty-free: Lviv customs officer detained for 'kickback' scheme during jewelry import
Kyiv • UNN
An inspector of the Lviv customs office was detained for extorting 15,000 US dollars for the unhindered import of jewelry brands Cartier, Van Cleef and Hermes without paying duties. He has been notified of suspicion and suspended from office.
A scheme involving "kickbacks" for importing jewelry of famous brands "Cartier", "Van Cleef" and "Hermes" without duties was exposed at the border; an inspector of the Lviv customs office was detained, who received a suspicion and was suspended from office, the Prosecutor General's Office reported on Tuesday, writes UNN.
Details
According to the investigation, "a state inspector of the department for combating illegal trafficking of drugs and weapons of the anti-smuggling and customs violations department of the Lviv customs office demanded and received 15,000 US dollars from a resident of Lviv region."
For this amount, the official ensured the unhindered import of jewelry of famous brands from the Republic of Poland without paying customs duties. In addition, according to preliminary information, he also instructed how to "hide" this product from customs control when importing it into Ukraine. In particular, it was about products of "Cartier", "Van Cleef" and "Hermes".
The amount of the illegal benefit, as indicated, is 4% of the actual value of the goods transported.
"The inspector was detained after receiving the last part of the "kickback" - 10,000 US dollars," the report says.
During the searches, among other things, as noted, all the illegal benefit received before the detention and part of the previous one - 1,600 US dollars - were seized.
The inspector was notified of suspicion of receiving an illegal benefit by an official, combined with demanding an illegal benefit (Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
Currently, the suspect, as reported, has been suspended from office. He was remanded in custody with the right to post bail.
Investigative actions are ongoing, all persons involved in illegal activities are being identified.