Under the guise of empty trucks: Chernivtsi customs exposes corruption scheme that caused UAH 290 million in losses
Kyiv • UNN
In Chernivtsi region, a large-scale tax evasion scheme that caused UAH 290 million in losses to the state was uncovered involving a criminal organization that illegally imported goods from Turkey by falsely declaring trucks as empty or disguising goods with a lower customs value.
A large-scale tax evasion scheme has been exposed in Chernivtsi region - NABU and SAPO have stopped the activities of a criminal organization that caused UAH 290 million in losses to the state, UNN reports.
Details
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine exposed and terminated the activities of a criminal organization that implemented a number of schemes to evade customs duties. Commercial goods were being imported by trucks through a checkpoint on the Romanian-Ukrainian border on the basis of forged documents. In some cases, vehicles with goods were declared as empty when entering the customs territory of Ukraine, investigators said.
The NABU also notes that the participants organized the illegal importation of goods from Turkey (clothing, footwear, accessories) through the Vadul Siret customs post, registering the transport with them as empty or disguising them with other goods with a much lower customs value.
It is stated that the customs management ensured the extraordinary passage of such vehicles and unimpeded customs clearance of the declared goods of the "cover group".
The schemes operated for a long time, and its participants behaved cynically and arrogantly, the SAPO reports.
When the journalists tried to expose the activities of the criminal organization, the customs authorities organized a brutal beating
So far, 11 members of the criminal organization have been exposed, including three Chernivtsi Customs officers and eight individuals. Their actions are classified under Part 1 Article 255, Part 2 Article 364, Part 3 Article 212, Part 4 Article 345-1, Part 3 Article 368, Part 4 Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
One co-organizer and four members of the criminal organization were detained in accordance with Art. 208 of the CPC of Ukraine.
The prosecutor's office also emphasizes that the exposure and termination of the criminal organization's activities was made possible through cooperation with the competent authorities of Turkey, Bulgaria, Romania, the Czech Republic and Slovakia, and that key evidence in the case was obtained and damages were established.