Position: state inspector of the Department of Combating Smuggling and Customs Violations of the Lviv Customs Office.
Sphere of corrupt activity: customs.
Region of corruption activity: Lviv region.
Qualification: Part 3, 4 Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. For receiving a bribe, a customs officer faces from 8 to 12 years of imprisonment.
Status: at large.
The plot of the case: in December 2023, Serhii Butov, the state inspector of the Department of Combating Smuggling and Customs Violation of the Lviv Customs, who was detained by the DBR employees the day before, is suspected of systematically accepting bribes. According to the investigation, he received a total of $38,000 in bribes from the representative of the business entity for assistance in moving building materials under the guise of a humanitarian. On November 30, he received the second tranche in the amount of more than 16 thousand dollars, after which he was detained.
As was reported on Friday, December 1, 2023, in the SBI and the Prosecutor General's Office, in May of this year, a customs inspector informed a representative of a commercial structure about the possibility of assistance in the rapid processing of goods under the guise of humanitarian aid without paying mandatory customs payments. The customs officer determined the amount of unlawful compensation in "floating" percentages of the total value of the cargo.
But the entrepreneur did not accept the offer and filed a complaint with the State Bank of Ukraine. Investigators documented several meetings during which a customs official explained to the businessman the mechanism of evasion of customs payments.
"Yes, in August of this year, the customs officer received 22,000 US dollars for the unimpeded passage of goods under the guise of humanitarian aid into the territory of Ukraine without payment of mandatory customs payments. The defendant's profit amounted to 14% of the real value of the cargo. "The SBI employees detained the perpetrator after receiving another bribe in the amount of 16.3 thousand US dollars," the SBI said in a statement.
Serhii Butov was informed of the suspicion of bribery in a particularly large amount (Part 3, Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code).
Butov was released on January 26, 2024 by order 132-o, on the same day the customs officer received a disciplinary penalty (order 16-ds).
Subsequently, it became known that the scandalous customs officer Serhii Butov is going to trial for the reinstatement of the state inspector of the operational department 2 of the UBC PMP of the Lviv Customs.
In October 2024, it became known that the Lviv District Administrative Court reinstated Serhiy Butov, suspected of systematic bribery, at the Lviv Customs. At the end of November last year, Serhiy Butov, the state inspector of the Department of Combating Smuggling and Customs Violations of Lviv Customs, was detained while receiving another tranche of $16,000.
In total, according to law enforcement officers, he received $38,000 in bribes. Serhiy Butov was released from Lviv Customs for violating the oath of a civil servant after he was caught red-handed while receiving $16,000 in bribes. Based on this fact, the customs office conducted an official investigation and opened disciplinary proceedings, as a result of which the violator was dismissed from his job.
In January 2024, Serhiy Butov filed a lawsuit demanding that the order of the Lviv Customs on dismissal be recognized as illegal and canceled and that he be reinstated. He also demanded to collect from the Lviv customs office the average earnings for the period of forced absenteeism.
The case was considered by judge Ulyana Bratychak. According to the court, the notification of suspicion of Serhiy Butov in receiving bribes (Part 3, Part 4, Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) is not evidence of his guilt and could not be a reason for his release from customs.
In turn, the notification of suspicion as part of the pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings dated 06.26.2023 cannot serve as proper and admissible evidence within the meaning of Art. Art. 73, 74 of the Code of Administrative Procedure of Ukraine and cannot be regarded as indisputable evidence of the presence of guilt in the actions of a person when committing a disciplinary offense, since this is not provided for by the current legislation
By the court's decision dated September 17, Serhiy Butov was reinstated as state inspector of the Department of Combating Contraband and Customs Violations of the Lviv Customs from January 30 of this year. Also, 152,000 hryvnias of salary for the period of forced absenteeism were collected from the Lviv customs office in his favor. This decision can still be appealed.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: other participants in the corruption scheme are identified.
Assets: in the declaration upon dismissal for the period 01.01.2024 - 01.29.2024, Butov indicated apartments, land plots and a residential building. In addition, he declared two watercraft, a specialized trailer, a trailer and a passenger car. He also indicated that he received UAH 46,346 in wages. In cash, in particular, he indicated UAH 50,000 and UAH 14,890 in a bank account.
Scandals: in open sources there is no information about other scandals in which Butov would appear.
Persons who should have responded: in the case of Butov, the law enforcement officers responded in time, however, it is not known at what stage the case is at.
Sources:
An employee of Lviv Customs was exposed for a bribe of 38,000 dollars
Telegram channel: Seredich.info
The DBR recorded the Lviv customs officer receiving $38,000 in bribes