NABU and SAP referred case on schemes at Chernivtsi customs to court

Referral of case to court

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) have completed work on the indictment against one of the co-organisers of the criminal group. The document has already been sent to the court. According to the investigation, this structure caused financial losses to the state of approximately 290 million hryvnia.

The defendant in the case is currently on the wanted list, so the pre-trial investigation was conducted under the relevant procedure.

Scheme of illegal import of goods

Investigators established that the organisation consisted of 11 individuals. Among them were the former head of the Chernivtsi Customs, who simultaneously held the position of a regional council deputy, two other customs heads, and eight representatives of the private sector.

Between 2017 and 2019, the participants of the scheme systematically illegally moved clothing, footwear, and accessories brought from Turkey through the Vadul-Siret customs post. Trucks loaded with valuable goods were declared as empty, or their contents were processed as cheaper materials: fabric, chipboard, or bricks.

The customs leadership ensured the priority passage of such vehicles without customs inspection, using forged documents. After crossing the border, the vehicles were directed to warehouses where expensive goods were unloaded for further sale. In return, cheaper cover goods were loaded into the trucks, which were then delivered to the Chernivtsi customs post for formal processing with the payment of under-declared customs duties.

Consequences and investigation

The aforementioned actions resulted in the state budget losing almost 290 million hryvnia. SAP also reported that the customs leadership organised the beating of journalists who attempted to expose the activities of the criminal organisation.

The criminal organisation was exposed in April 2024, and the investigation was completed in September of the same year.

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has already approved plea agreements for four participants of the organisation and issued guilty verdicts against them. One of the co-organisers reimbursed the state for over 83.2 million hryvnia in damages. In total, the convicted individuals transferred approximately 180 million hryvnia to the state budget and for support of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The case concerning six other participants of the criminal group remains under review at the HACC.