Saakashvili promises 15-minute customs clearance for goods

Former Georgian President and Odesa Governor Mikheil Saakashvili has reached the customs office. It is no secret that the port of Chornomorsk is one of the most corrupt in Ukraine. Business owners have repeatedly stated that they are ready to pay all customs fees honestly, but they are simply not allowed to do so.

Saakashvili decided to bring order to the port and the Odesa customs office as a whole, speeding up the official clearance of cargo to 15 minutes, instead of several days.

«Моя команда сделала презентацию нашей модели революционного для Украины таможенного терминала в Одессе. В этих новых терминалах будет досматриваться максимум 5-7 % контейнеров, все основные решения будет принимать компьютер и время прохождения досмотра будет в среднем 15 минут вместо теперешних часто нескольких дней. Если нам очень не будут мешать, мы построим новые терминалы в течении 100 дней и полностью перекроим контрабанду», - говорит Саакашвили. (My team has presented our model of a revolutionary customs terminal for Ukraine in Odesa. In these new terminals, a maximum of 5-7% of containers will be inspected, all major decisions will be made by a computer, and the average inspection time will be 15 minutes instead of the current often several days. If we are not heavily obstructed, we will build the new terminals within 100 days and completely eliminate smuggling, Saakashvili says.)