Position: Head of Chernivtsi Customs.
The sphere of corruption activity: customs clearance of goods
Region of corruption : Chernivtsi, Transcarpathia.
Qualification: Suspicion has not been presented.
Status: He currently holds the position of head of the "Western" customs post of the Energy Customs. On December 19, 2023, Mykhailo Tovt was relieved of his post as the head of the Chernivtsi customs office after law enforcement officials discovered facts of abuse of power by his subordinates.
The plot of the case: The employees of the State Security Bureau and the Department of Strategic Investigations managed to find out that Chernivtsi customs officials let trucks with electronic cigarettes worth UAH 42 million into Ukraine outside of customs control.
On December 19, 2023, employees of the State Security Bureau, the Prosecutor's Office, and the police conducted searches at the Krasnoilsk border crossing point. Evidence of illegal activities of Chernivtsi customs officers was discovered during the investigation. In particular, according to documents from the Romanian side, 42 million hryvnias worth of e-cigarettes were sent to Ukraine in trucks. However, they did not enter the territory of our state, but simply "got lost somewhere". Law enforcement officers detained two customs officers, the investigation continues.
The State Customs Service of Ukraine reported that according to the results of an internal investigation, the head of the Chernivtsi customs office, Mykhailo Tovt, was dismissed. The department noted that the chief is probably also involved in the handling of excise goods.
"In August, an unscheduled inspection was conducted, during which facts of possible illegal activity of the head and officials of the Chernivtsi customs office were revealed. Thus, facts have been established that testify to the assistance of officials in the movement of electronic cigarettes outside customs control for a total amount of more than UAH 40 million. Thanks to the close cooperation of the State Customs Service and the customs authorities of Romania, it was possible to obtain confirmation of this information," the official website of the State Customs Service of Ukraine reported.
A number of disciplinary proceedings were also initiated. 17 Chernivtsi customs officials were reprimanded. The materials of the investigation about the fact of the commission of a possible criminal offense were handed over to the police and the SBI.
Persons potentially involved in Mykhailo Tovt's schemes: Two customs officials were suspected of having committed a criminal offense provided for in Part 3 of Art. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Their surnames and further fate are unknown.
Scandals : Mykhailo Tovt, before heading the Chernivtsi customs office, managed the customs service in Zakarpattia region.
In January 2023, the head of Transcarpathian Customs, Mykhailo Tovt, was searched. Mykhailo Tovt was prepared in advance for the visit of the SBI. During the search, the investigators found absolutely nothing. As a result, Mykhailo Tovt was dismissed from the post of head of Transcarpathian customs and went to Chernivtsi.
Persons who should have responded to Mykhailo Tovt's corruption schemes:
NABU — acting head of NABU Semen Kryvonos should have paid attention to Mykhailo Tovt;
SAP — the acting head of SAP Oleksandr Klymenko was also supposed to react to this story;
The acting head of the Bureau, Oleksiy Sukhachev, was also supposed to react to this story.
Wealth: a salary of 318,000 hryvnias per year, at the age of 58 he has neither small children nor a wife. The older children, Yuriy and Victoria, work at the customs office. He has an apartment of 68 square meters in Lviv, a rented apartment in Chernivtsi, a land share of 2 hectares, no cars, no securities.
Sources:
Unified state register of declarations
Mykhailo Tovt became the chief customs officer of Transcarpathia