Industrial equipment worth UAH 20 million seized in Zakarpattia due to forged documents

During customs control operations on the territory of the Zakarpattia Customs Directorate, facts of concealing accurate information about imported goods were established. As a result, industrial equipment with a total estimated value of approximately 20 million hryvnias was seized.

Detection of document falsification

The incident occurred during the inspection of two lorries importing industrial equipment into Ukraine. During the inspection, customs officers found an additional set of cargo accompanying documents in the driver's cabs, which differed from those submitted for the clearance of the cargo movement.

Detailed analysis revealed that the officially submitted documents contained inaccurate information regarding the identification of the seller and the actual value of the goods. Such concealment of information constitutes a violation of customs legislation.

Carriers' reaction and applied sanctions

Both lorry drivers, as a justification, stated that they acted on the instructions of a logistics manager, shifting responsibility for the document forgery onto him.

Since the actions of the carriers contain signs of a violation of customs rules, protocols were drawn up against them under Part 1 of Article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine. In accordance with current legislation, such violations are punishable by a fine ranging from 50% to 100% of the value of the subject of the offence, as well as the confiscation of the goods.

Judicial investigation and criminal proceedings

Currently, all seized goods, with an estimated value of approximately UAH 20 million, have been seized pending a court decision.

In addition to administrative liability, the customs authority sent a report on the unlawful act to the Territorial Directorate of the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB) of Zakarpattia Oblast. The circumstances identified contain signs of a crime provided for by Article 201-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.