Lviv Customs Officer Detained for Receiving Bribes Exceeding 20 Thousand Dollars
In Lviv, police have informed a customs official of suspicion in receiving bribes. The head of one of the Lviv Customs posts demanded and received undue benefits for the unhindered customs clearance of international postal shipments sent to Ukraine from European countries and the USA without accruing and paying customs duties.
Exposure and Detention
The offender was exposed by investigators from the General Crime Investigation Department of the Lviv Region Police together with operatives of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Lviv region, with the procedural guidance of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
Law enforcement officers documented several instances of the suspect receiving undue benefits and on March 26 detained him in Lviv under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine after he received $20,000. Earlier that day, a few hours before, he received a bribe of $3,000 in his office.
Legal Consequences
The detainee was notified of suspicion of committing a crime under part 4 of Article 368 (Acceptance of an offer, promise, or receiving undue benefits by an official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The article’s sanction provides for a punishment of imprisonment for a period of eight to twelve years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years, with confiscation of property.
Pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
National Police of Ukraine, Security Service of Ukraine in the Lviv Region.