Zelensky signs law criminalizing smuggling

President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy has signed draft law No. 5420 on the criminalization of smuggling, according to the parliament's website, UNN reports.

Details

Starting from July 1, 2024, the law introduces criminal liability for smuggling of goods worth UAH 7.57 to 15.14 million in the form of a fine of UAH 170 to 425 thousand, and for goods worth more than UAH 15.14 million - liability from a fine of UAH 850 thousand to 11 years' imprisonment with confiscation of property. And for excisable goods worth UAH 1.136 to UAH 2.271 million, the sanction will be from UAH 340 thousand fine to 6 years in prison, and for goods worth more than UAH 2.271 million - from UAH 1.275 million fine to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property, reported MP Pavlo Frolov.

According to Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Tax Committee, the bill was amended before the vote as a whole, as the business insisted:

1) the thresholds for commodity smuggling are proposed to be raised 5 times.

2) raise the thresholds for excisable goods by 2 times.

3) the entry into force of the law on commodity smuggling is postponed until mid-2024.

4) numerous insistences of business on specifying the intentional form of guilt, only in the presence of which actions can be qualified as a crime, were taken into account.

5) the possible cases of bringing to liability under "smuggling" articles for submitting documents with false information have been significantly limited - in the amended version, they must be the basis for the movement of goods, be subject to mandatory declaration in accordance with customs legislation, and have an impact on the determination of the amount of customs payments or compliance with non-tariff regulation measures.

The adoption of the draft law is a requirement for a €1.5 billion macro-finance from the EU this year, the MP said, pointing out that now there is six months to reboot the BES.