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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The court fined a minibus driver for attempting to import 434 pairs of shoes with a fake Tax Free
Galitsky District Court of Lviv found the minibus driver guilty of customs violations for trying to import a commercial batch of shoes under a Tax Free document that was not confirmed in Polish databases. The man was fined more than 31 thousand hryvnias.
This was reported by the Telegram channel “Judging Schemes” citing the decision in case №461/3188/26.
The incident occurred 28 January 2026 of the year at the “Uzhhorod — Dolhogubychiv” checkpoint. The driver of a Nissan Interstar minibus returning from Poland chose the simplified customs control lane — the “green corridor.”
During processing, he told the customs officers that he and the passengers were transporting only personal belongings and shoes within the non-taxable limit.
However, during a thorough inspection in the baggage compartment they found 434 pairs of new factory-made shoes of various models.
To confirm the value of the goods, the driver provided Tax Free for Tourists No. 25PL00TF000869166 from 27 January 2026 of the year, which related to 62 pairs of women’s sneakers. Other passengers also provided similar documents.
The customs officers checked the document through the official open database of the Polish Tax Administration, Krajowa Administracja Skarbowa. It turned out that a receipt with that number is not registered in Polish tax databases and was not issued.
According to the customs service, the document contained false information about the sender, recipient, and the value of the goods. No genuine fiscal receipts or invoices were presented during customs control.
According to the findings of the State Customs Service expert examination, the market value of the seized batch of shoes was 62 673,60 hryvnias.
In court, the driver's representative disputed his guilt. She argued that the absence of a document in the Tax Free database did not indicate forgery, and the purchase of the goods allegedly was confirmed by a sales contract.
The court did not accept these arguments, because no real contracts or receipts were provided at border crossing. The court concluded that the driver attempted to move the goods using documents that contain false information.
By the court’s decision, the driver was found guilty under part 1 of article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine.
He was fined 50% of the value of the goods — 31 336,80 hryvnias. He must also pay 963,14 hryvnias for storage costs at the customs warehouse and 665,60 hryvnias in court fees.
At the same time, the seized 434 pairs of shoes were ordered to be returned to the violator for export outside Ukraine or for customs clearance after payment of the necessary customs duties.
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