The Security Service of Ukraine has exposed more than 10 customs officials in the embezzlement of Ukrainian grain exports

The Security Service, together with the Bureau of Economic Security, exposed a criminal scheme for embezzlement of funds for the export of Ukrainian grain.

More than 10 high-ranking officials are involved in the organization of the scheme. Among them are the deputy head of one of the departments of the State Customs Service and the management of the Odesa Customs. They have established a large-scale mechanism of tax evasion for the export of Ukrainian grain.

As a result of the crime, the estimated losses for 2022, in case of non-declaration of income from the mentioned export operations, are estimated by BEB analysts at 5.2 billion UAH.

To implement the scheme, its participants involved more than 370 commercial structures with signs of fictitiousness. Through them, the plots bought wheat en masse from private farmers, agricultural enterprises and large agricultural holdings.

In order to “confuse” trade chains and avoid paying mandatory payments to the budget, merchants transferred products from one “laying firm” to another. And only after that they sold grain to exporters for sale abroad.

According to the investigation, BEB employees discovered the facts of the use of risky enterprises in export procedures in advance and warned the State Customs Service about it in writing. However, the customs officials did not take into account the relevant comments and allowed the sale of more than 1 million tons of grain products of merchants abroad.

It was established that wheat was exported through the capacities of grain terminals in the ports of Odesa, Chornomorsk and Yuzhnoye.

During 30 searches in the administrative premises of the central office of the State Customs Service, on the territory of the ports and at the places of residence of the suspects, law enforcement officers found:

draft records;

electronic documents;

mobile phones with evidence of processing.

Within the framework of criminal proceedings under part 2 of Art. 364 (abuse of power or official position) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the issue of notifying the accused of suspicion and choosing a preventive measure is resolved.

Currently, an investigation is underway to establish all the circumstances of the offense, determine the exact losses to the state budget and bring the culprits to justice.