Employees of the Southern Customs exposed a scheme involving the submission of documents with unreliable data regarding the foreign recipient of the cargo. The company was already officially liquidated at the time of processing, reports “ProAgro Group”.

According to the statement of the State Customs Service, in 2021, the company attempted to export by sea transport over 27.8 thousand tons of grain and oilseeds — soft wheat, rapeseed, barley, and yellow peas — with a total value of 249.4 million UAH.

The court established that the company’s head submitted contracts, invoices, and customs declarations containing false information about the recipient of the goods. Customs representatives proved the deliberate nature of the actions and the absence of real economic activity.

The Central District Court of Mykolaiv, guided by Article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine, ruled to impose a fine equal to 100% of the value of the goods — 249.4 million UAH, and also to collect an additional sum equivalent to the value of the goods instead of their confiscation — another 249.4 million UAH. The total amount of penalties exceeded 498 million UAH.

In 2024 alone, customs authorities of Ukraine detected over 2.3 thousand violations of customs rules related to the submission of unreliable documents and attempts to illegally move goods. The total amount of fines imposed exceeded 1.2 billion UAH, and in some cases, courts also ruled to collect double the value of the goods instead of their confiscation.