A $13 million case: the head of the Zakarpattia Customs and his deputy organized the illegal export of a large amount to Hungary

The leadership of the Zakarpattia Customs in Ukraine has been accused of facilitating the illegal export of $13 million to Hungary. The money was discovered in a vehicle on the Hungarian side, and the vehicle crossed the Ukrainian border without undergoing customs checks.

This incident was reported by former Ukrainian MP Igor Mosiychuk on his Facebook page, citing his own sources at the Tysa border crossing point.

According to him, the incident occurred on September 29 at this particular border crossing point. Mosiychuk alleges that the directive to allow the car to pass without customs inspection came directly from the Chief of the Zakarpattia Customs, Alexander Semirga, and his deputy, Vitaliy Kozyuberd. The new temporary head of the Tysa Customs post, Vitaliy Vishnyuk, asked for help from the border guards in the “control matter,” as they are responsible for releasing vehicles at the Tysa border crossing.

“Border guards were very hesitant about whether to approve this passage, but they complied with the customs officers’ request. On Friday, September 29, this passenger car entered the Tysa Customs post and chose the diplomatic lane for transit. The car was not inspected and quickly left the territory of Ukraine, heading for Hungary,” Mosiychuk said.

According to the former MP, during the inspection on the Hungarian side, 13 million dollars hidden in the car were discovered. The driver was forced to declare this money, and that’s what “exposed the entire corruption scheme.”

As Mosiychuk writes, Hungarian customs officers informed Ukraine about the import of a large amount of currency, as required by a bilateral agreement.

“After receiving this information in Kyiv, they were simply shocked by the case and immediately started looking for the culprits. After making several calls, it became clear that Alexander Semirga was the moderator and controller of this process,” Mosiychuk writes.

His sources in the State Border Guard Service report that the border guards have a clear alibi that clears them of direct involvement in the organization of the funds’ export.

“As evidence, they provide screenshots of messages from Semirga stating that it was indeed ‘customs control,’ and customs officers requested the unobstructed passage of the car with currency,” the message says.

It is also reported that Vishnyuk preserved correspondence in which the Chief of the Zakarpattia Customs, Alexander Semirga, sent him the car’s license plate number and asked for assistance in crossing the border.

“Apparently, certain law enforcement agencies have seen this correspondence. Currently, all involved parties are taking measures to cover up this situation,” Mosiychuk said.

According to his information, Semirga and his deputy Kozyuberd were supposed to receive 1-2% of the sum for facilitating the movement of 13 million dollars. Because of this, Mosiychuk appealed to the Acting Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine, Sergey Zvyagintsev, demanding the immediate dismissal of all the leadership of the Zakarpattia Customs.