The SBI completed the inspection of goods hidden from customs clearance at Odesa Customs. Goods worth over UAH 1.5 billion were found (INFOGRAPHICS)

The SBI employees in cooperation with the Prosecutor General's Office completed the accounting of goods hidden from customs clearance at Odesa Customs.  

All measures were carried out in the framework of the resolutions of the President of Ukraine and the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine on combating smuggling and replenishing the state budget of Ukraine.

According to preliminary calculations, the value of the goods is at least UAH 1.5 billion. The money from their sale should have been used to replenish the budget of the country at war.

On October 18, the SBI employees found 133 containers with expired customs clearance at Odesa Customs.

During searches on the territory of container terminals, SBI investigators found a helicopter, luxury cars, machinery, huge batches of shoes, including branded ones, construction materials and equipment.

For a long time, customs officials did not take any steps regarding the transfer of the detected goods to the authorized bodies for their sale and transfer of funds to the state revenue. Probably, it is a scheme of tax evasion, which leads to the loss of significant funds to the budget.

Documents for the found goods are missing, as well as information about most of their owners. However, some entrepreneurs, after learning about the searches and responding to the call of the SBI, expressed a desire to return the goods by paying the appropriate penalties and customs duties.

The SBI guarantees that everything will be in accordance with the law and the money will be reimbursed to the country.

Investigative actions continue. In particular, a legal evaluation will be provided to the actions of customs officials who, in the context of russia's full-scale aggression against Ukraine, did not take any measures to fill the budget in a timely manner.