The State Customs Service said it had exposed dishonest officials: two customs officers were suspected, and the head of the Chernivtsi customs office was fired.
"At the initiative of the State Customs Service, an unscheduled inspection was conducted in August this year, during which facts of possible illegal activities of the head and officials of the Chernivtsi Customs were revealed. Thus, facts were established that indicate that the officials facilitated the movement of e-cigarettes outside customs control for a total amount of over UAH 40 million," the statement said.
It is noted that the Romanian customs authorities managed to confirm this information.
The State Customs Service reports that it has initiated a number of disciplinary proceedings and applied disciplinary measures to 17 customs officers. The official who was acting head of the Chernivtsi Customs at the time was dismissed.
The materials of the audit on the fact of a possible criminal offence were sent to law enforcement agencies. As a result, today two customs officials have been suspected of committing a criminal offence under Part 3 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.