The State Bureau of Investigation exposed a large-scale extortion scheme at the Odesa customs office, where even generators were not allowed into Ukraine without bribes.
"Employees of the SBI continue to systematically root out corruption at the customs office. A lot of work is being done to restore order at various parts of the Ukrainian border. This time, a large-scale scheme of extortion at the Odesa customs office has been exposed," the Bureau informs.
According to him, customs officials took money from everyone who transported goods across the border, which is confirmed, in particular, by searches in the administration building of the customs post.
"Employees of the Central Bureau of Investigation discovered hiding places of money of customs employees. The inspectors managed to "earn" more than UAH 65,000 in just a few hours of the shift. The money was hidden under plinths, in computer equipment, heaters, waste paper and even in the toilet," the report says.
The SBI reports that during a special operation, an Odesa customs inspector was detained at the scene of the crime (after receiving money again), who demanded "payment" from the importer for the unhindered importation of generators and electrical appliances into Ukraine.
"The customs officer took money for not creating artificial problems during the customs clearance of generators, despite the fact that there are now preferential conditions for their customs clearance. He estimated such "services" at 50% of the amount of official customs payments," the message states.
According to the SBI, in just a short period of time, the investigation documented the fact that the official received several thousand dollars in bribes.
The issue of notifying the detainee of suspicion of extortion and receiving an unlawful benefit (Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and the selection of a preventive measure inspector is being resolved.
