Detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine exposed a group of people who imported tourist equipment to the customs territory of Ukraine, underestimating the quantity and value of the goods. This led to a decrease in the amount of customs payments and tax evasion in particularly large amounts.

The mentioned tourist goods and equipment were discovered during the inspection of three vehicles. ESBU detectives seized and seized various tourist goods (more than 24,000 portable flashlights, more than 10,000 pendant lights, more than 1,000 video cameras, camping utensils, radio receivers, mobile speakers) and the cars themselves. The customs documents listed this item as manufactured in the People's Republic of China and indicated an undervalued value. In fact it was a product of well-known European and world brands. The estimated total value of the seized goods is about UAH 45 million.

Employees of the Territorial Administration of the Security Service in the Lviv region conducted an inspection of the vehicle and semi-trailer in the territory of the Dnipropetrovsk region. In addition detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine and the Territorial Administration of the Security Intelligence Service in the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv region inspected two more trucks at the customs post of the Kyiv Customs.

In both cases, the detected cargo did not correspond to reality in terms of the nomenclature, the declared quantity and value.

ESBU detectives established that a group of people, together with officials of business entities, transported branded goods across the customs border of Ukraine without paying the corresponding customs payments. Goods imported into the customs territory of our country were not declared and were subsequently sold in Ukraine.

In addition, the facts of the importation and customs clearance of goods with the use of front companies and their officials, which were not actually related to the implementation of economic and export-import operations, were established.

Pre-trial investigation of criminal proceedings on the grounds of offences provided for in Part 5 of Art. 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (appropriation, embezzlement of property or possession of it by abuse of official position), Part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (legalisation (laundering) of property obtained through criminal means) is carried out by detectives of the Territorial Department of the ESBU in Lviv region under the procedural guidance of prosecutors of the Lviv regional prosecutor's office.

We will remind, recently ESBU detectives exposed a company that received an illegal budget VAT refund of almost UAH 35.4 million. During the searches, more than UAH 25 million equivalent was seized.