Ivan Bakanov / Photo from UNIAN
Over the past six months, law enforcers seized smuggled good worth UAH 140 million, while 29 people were brought to responsibility by court.
Chairman of the Security Service of Ukraine, Ivan Bakanov, considers it necessary to reintroduce criminal liability for smuggling, including of excisable goods.
Over the past six months, law enforcers seized contraband goods worth UAH140 million, while 29 persons were brought to responsibility by court, Bakanov said while reporting to Parliament Wednesday, March 4, according to a UNIAN correspondent.
"In order to combat smuggling more effectively, there are only two things to be done – restoring criminal liability for smuggling and setting up online exchange of customs data with partner states. As for the first point, about criminal liability for smuggling, we've held consultations with the Ministry of Finance, the State Tax Service, and large businesses, which is ready for such initiative to be introduced today, although in the first place, I think it is more appropriate to introduce criminal liability for smuggling of excisable goods," Bakanov said.
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As UNIAN reported earlier, during the address to MPs on Wednesday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the State Customs Service of Ukraine in January-February had not met the target of customs receipts to the state budget and failed to completely eliminate smuggling.