In the Lviv region, an indictment has been submitted to court against the former head of the customs clearance department of one of the posts of Lviv Customs, who is accused of organising the receipt of undue advantage for customs clearance of vehicles from the USA. This was reported by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, the official, taking advantage of his position, set up a scheme of cash “payments” for the unimpeded import of vehicles from the USA through European Union countries into Ukraine. Initially, according to law enforcement, he quoted a rate of 50 US dollars for each vehicle cleared at the customs post under his control; later the amount increased to 60 US dollars per vehicle.
In the event of refusal to pay, according to the investigation, the customs officer threatened to create artificial obstacles during the customs clearance of the vehicles. It has been documented that during May–June this year he “assisted” with the clearance of 61 vehicles, receiving a total of 3,660 US dollars in undue advantage. These were crossovers and saloons of mid-range and premium class, including BMW X5, Land Rover Range Rover Sport, Tesla Model Y and Audi Q7.
After receiving the last portion of cash totalling 2,880 US dollars for the clearance of vehicles in June, the head of the post was detained by law enforcement officers under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
The accused is charged with receiving, as an official holding a position of responsibility, undue advantage for himself for actions in the interests of the person providing it, using his official position, combined with the extortion of undue advantage (Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Shortly after being notified of suspicion, he resigned from his post. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by the Main Department of the National Police in the Lviv region, with operational support provided by the Security Service of Ukraine Office in the Lviv region.
In accordance with Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and may not be subjected to criminal punishment until his or her guilt has been proven in the manner prescribed by law and established by a guilty verdict of a court.