Prosecutors of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office have sent an indictment to court against a 41-year-old businessman who illegally exported timber products abroad.
The investigation established that an entrepreneur from the Zymnovodivska community illegally bought unmarked oak boards from residents of Lviv and neighboring regions. He stored them at a rented site near Lviv. To imitate the legal origin of the products, he obtained certificates based on fictitious documents certifying the origin of the wood and the sawn timber made from it.
In April last year, the man organized the export of almost 22 m3 of timber to Poland. Part of the proceeds (523 thousand UAH) was laundered by investing in business – he purchased a new batch of timber for further sale. In July, the entrepreneur attempted to export almost 23 m3 of wood abroad again, but this time the smuggling attempt was stopped by law enforcement, and the timber was seized. The value of the seized wood was almost 550 thousand UAH.
The entrepreneur is charged with smuggling of timber, attempted smuggling of timber, and legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by BEB in the Lviv region based on materials from the Strategic Investigations Department in the Lviv region of the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine.
Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered innocent of a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in a legal manner and established by a guilty verdict of the court.