11 tons of surrogate instead of quality fuel: ESBU in the Chernivtsi region shuts down two gas stations

 Two illegal gas stations selling diesel fuel of dubious quality have been uncovered in Bukovyna. The fuel was sold without documents of origin or quality certificates, and prices were below market rates.

Detectives from the Territorial Office of the ESBU in the Chernivtsi region established that the gas stations operated within the Putyla and Rukshyn territorial communities. Transactions with customers were conducted without being reflected in accounting and tax records.

During the searches, ESBU detectives seized over 11 tons of diesel fuel, handwritten notes, financial and economic documentation, and mobile phones.

The estimated value of the seized illegal products is over 1.1 million UAH.

Currently, samples of the petroleum products have been sent for expert examination.

The pre-trial investigation is being conducted under Part 1 of Article 204 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal manufacture, storage, sale, or transportation for the purpose of sale of excisable goods).

Operational support is carried out by officers of the SSU Directorate in Chernivtsi Oblast.

Prosecutorial guidance is provided by the Chernivtsi Oblast Prosecutor's Office.

According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of committing a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court verdict of guilty.