As in Ukraine is “the law”
With support of Central Anti-corruption Committee of Ukraine, another high profile case was solved. It all started when Kyiv trans-regional customs office of Revenues and deduction Ministry of Ukraine (in further referred to as “The Customs”) almost in two years after completing the customs clearance of imports from one private company, referred to information supposedly received from Customs administration of Czech Republic, and decided that the private company had underpaid a certain monetary amount.
Officials of Kyiv trans-regional customs office of office of Revenues and deduction Ministry of Ukraine without pausing to think had acted as they were taught – not by virtue of the Law, but by the “codes of the underworld”:
- Protocol about customs rules violation was drawn without leaving the room;
- Person against which the protocol was drawn was not even informed about the fact that he is accused of customs rules violation;
- Protocol was executed in terms of suspect, witnesses and lawyer absence, despite the fact that protocol blank foresees mandatory presence of the named persons;
- Customs authority officials were not disturbed by the fact that on the day of imaginary customs rules violations, the “violator” was not in Ukraine at all.
Information that the person was held liable for violating the customs regulations, were presented to that person only by means of calling such person to the court.
Fortunately, this major injustice became known to our esteemed Director and well-known legal advocate Sigal Oleksii Leonidovych, who immediately took the case.
Owing to his valuable advices, injustice was overcome: district court of Kyiv city, examining the case on customs regulations violation had closed the case.
However our “benevolent” Customs did not “give up” so easily. It appealed to Kyiv city court of Appeal. But Kyiv city court of appeal agreed with Mr. Sigal’s arguments and proof. The decision of district court about closing the case, remained without amendments
Some time later an interesting piece of information was revealed: in three months before drawing a protocol on customs regulations violation, Customs administration of Czech Republic issued a document on absence of any claims or accusations against the private company.