Scheme to sell cars stolen during occupation of Kyiv region to Europe exposed: participants served suspicion notices - Prosecutor General’s Office. PHOTO
A notice of suspicion was served to 7 members of an organised group on the facts of concealment of a crime, use of a knowingly forged document and legalisation of proceeds of crime (Part 3 of Art. 28, Part 1 of Art. 396, Part 3 of Art. 28, Part 4 of Art. 358, Part 3 of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). They were caught reselling cars stolen during the occupation of Kyiv region to Europe.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General, Censor.NET reports.
It was established that in 2022, during the temporary occupation of the Kyiv region, about 140 cars belonging to car dealerships in the capital were stolen. Subsequently, some of these cars began to appear in offers for sale. After changing the identification numbers of the cars' bodies, they were sold in Ukraine and abroad.
It is reported that a resident of Zakarpattia region set up the scheme to convert stolen cars. He involved several local men and a woman, as well as residents of Cherkasy and Kyiv regions, in the illegal activity. Each of the participants in the scheme was responsible for a particular area: some were engaged in the production of forged documents, searching for persons with the right to travel abroad, while others transported the cars to the border region and then sold the "twin" cars.
According to the Prosecutor General's Office, the stolen cars were converted in Kyiv and the region in garages. There, the accomplices changed the body numbers and replaced the units. After that, the cars were transported to Zakarpattia and driven across the border to the European Union, where proxies legalised them by registering them as new vehicles.
It was established that an inspector of one of the customs posts of the Zakarpattia Customs facilitated the formal customs control of the stolen cars during the border crossing. During his work shifts, the suspects exported cars to Hungary with fake licence plates, documents and international insurance policies. The customs officer entered the fictitious data of the cars into the official databases.
Using this scheme, the suspects performed customs clearing and sold more than a dozen cars.
Currently, five suspects have been detained as a measure of restraint. One person is wanted, and another suspect is already in custody under the previously imposed measure of restraint.
