An indictment has been submitted to court against a 41-year-old resident of Yavoriv district, who is accused of smuggling vehicles brought in from European Union countries under the guise of humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. This was reported by the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the investigation, between November last year and April this year, the man organised a scheme to profit from the illegal sale of cars. First, he bought vehicles on foreign online platforms, after which he arranged for them to be brought into Ukraine across the state border.
The actual transportation of the cars was carried out by hired drivers. The customs documents stated that the recipient of the vehicles was a charitable organisation, and that the cars themselves were allegedly humanitarian aid for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In this way, according to the investigation, it was possible to avoid paying customs duties.
Despite the fact that such vehicles are not intended for sale, the accused attempted to sell them for cash. To do this, he posted advertisements for the sale of smuggled cars on the “OLX” platform. An attempt to sell five SUVs of the Toyota and Mitsubishi brands, each worth between 5,000 and 8,000 euros, has been documented.
These cars have now been seized and frozen. The total value of the seized vehicles is almost UAH 1.4 million. In court, prosecutors will insist on the confiscation of these cars and their subsequent transfer to meet the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
The pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Article 201-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine was carried out by the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security in Lviv region, with operational support provided by the 7th Carpathian Border Detachment of the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine.
Pursuant to 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 the court.