Black accounting at Lviv Customs: how to reform the system?

How can one speak of reforms when, in practice, everything continues to operate according to old schemes? Gross violations related to the maintenance of black accounting have been uncovered at the Lviv Customs. 

These are part of the records seized from Taravskyi V., the senior shift officer at the Ughrineve border crossing point, earlier this year during a search. These records, written in his own handwriting, contain details of violations that were subsequently ignored by the leadership of the Lviv Customs, despite requests from law enforcement agencies.

The records clearly specify the registration numbers of vehicles that crossed the border with goods without proper customs control. They also note the makes of the vehicles, the types of goods, their weight, partial calculations and sums — all of this is just a small part of the data recorded for each working day.

The system of black accounting at the customs

Such reporting, at the requirement of the leadership, is maintained by all senior shift officers at the border crossing point. At the same time, it appears that the customs leadership is not particularly interested in resolving this issue. Everything continues as before: goods cross the border, and the money goes into pockets.

It is clear that reforming the system requires not only fighting such "black" records but also a deeper review of the work of all structures involved in customs procedures to eliminate corruption and establish transparent control.