ESBU detectives exposed a scheme to evade the payment of more than 244 million customs payments during the transit of oil products by pipeline transport in 2020-2022.

The investigation established that the officials of the transportation company (carrier) violated the requirements and conditions of the "Transit" customs regime during the transit movement of fuel and lubricant materials through the main petroleum product pipeline, in the period from 2020 to 2022. This led to obligations to pay the amount of customs payments to the state budget.

In turn, the actions of the officials of the financial guarantor led to an underestimation of the amount of the tax liability for the payment of duties. Therefore, the financial guarantor did not fulfill his obligations to ensure the payment of customs payments, which caused losses to the state budget in the amount of more than UAH 244 million.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, it was established that the beneficial owners of the financial guarantor are persons entrusted and under the control of the "fugitive" MP, who was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship at the beginning of the year.

According to the results of the searches of several non-residential premises, documents regarding the provision of fingarant services, documentation confirming the avoidance of the obligation to pay customs payments, copies of customs declarations, contracts for the provision of brokerage services and other documents were seized.

In addition, during the search of the premises of the Energy Customs of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, copies of transit customs declarations and illegal permission to change the customs regime, etc., were seized.

Pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings on the grounds of a criminal offense provided for in Part 3 of Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (tax evasion) is carried out by detectives of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine under the procedural guidance of prosecutors of the Office of the General Prosecutor and operational support of the Security Service of Ukraine.

We will remind you that recently the ESBU detectives secured a refund of UAH 531 million of excise tax as part of criminal proceedings on non-payment of taxes by officials of PJSC "Ukrtatnafta". Read more https://esbu.gov.ua/en/news/esbu-ensured-compensation-to-the-budget-of-uah-531-million-in-the-case-of-ukrtatnafta