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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
⚖️ Customs officer accused of 1 million in damages fully acquitted in court
14 September 2026, the Rivne City Court of Rivne region found former Polissya Customs official Yuriy Andrusenko completely not guilty. The man was accused of “exceeding authority” for seizing a truck while processing a customs violation, which allegedly led to million-hryvnia losses.
This was reported by the Telegram channel "Sudom po skhemakh" citing case No. 569/3240/23.
🔍 What the State Bureau of Investigation charged the official with
The story began back in December 2019. Acting head of the Department for Prevention and Countering of Smuggling of Polissya Customs Yuriy Andrusenko, while drawing up a protocol for a customs violation, seized a MAN truck with a semitrailer.
The vehicle remained under customs control for more than six months. SBI investigators concluded that the customs officer exceeded his authority, and the shipper — LLC Bavaria Motors LTD — allegedly suffered damages of 1 041 600 UAH in the form of a fee for vehicle downtime. The official was charged under part 3 of article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for severe punishment.
🏛️ Why the case fell apart
In court the prosecution’s version completely collapsed under the weight of facts and higher-court rulings:
• The Supreme Court confirmed the customs officer’s position: The defense presented the Supreme Court decision of 15 August 2023, which overturned lower-court rulings and dismissed LLC Bavaria Motors LTD’s claim in full. The higher instance confirmed that the seizure of the truck was entirely lawful and carried out strictly in accordance with the Customs Code.
• The “million-hryvnia accusations” turned out to be a soap bubble: The court deemed the prosecutor’s expertise on the existence of damages inadmissible evidence because it relied on a decision that had already been overturned. A repeat forensic examination confirmed — there are no documentarily substantiated damages.
• No criminal offense: The court established that Yuriy Andrusenko acted strictly within the scope of his official duties, without any intent or violation of the law.
📌 Summary
The law-enforcement attempt to turn a routine customs control procedure into a criminal offense suffered a complete defeat. The final point in this long story was the acquittal due to the absence of elements of a crime in the official’s actions.
Telegram publication