President Volodymyr Zelensky signed the Law “On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedural Code of Ukraine regarding the criminalization of smuggling of goods and excisable goods, as well as false declaration of goods.”
Such information is contained in the card of the relevant bill on the parliament website, Ukrinform reports.
This law amends Articles 201 (Smuggling of cultural property and weapons) and 201(1) (Smuggling of timber and valuable tree species) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. At the same time, the Criminal Code is supplemented by articles 201(3) (“Smuggling of goods”), 201(4) (“Smuggling of excisable goods”), which establish criminal liability for smuggling of goods and excisable goods.
The document introduces thresholds followed by criminal liability. In particular, under Article 201(3) (“Smuggling of goods”) was committed in a significant amount, if the total value of the smuggled items exceeds UAH 6,710,000 or more, in a large amount – UAH 26,840,000 or more; under Article 201(4) (“Smuggling of excisable goods”) – committed in a significant amount, if the total value of the contraband items (except for electrical energy) exceeds UAH 1,006,500 or more, in a large amount – UAH 2,013,000 or more.
Amendments are also being made to Article 216 of the Criminal Procedure Code, by which security agency investigators are deprived of the right to conduct pre-trial investigations in criminal proceedings under Article 201(1) of the Criminal Code, and detectives from the Bureau of Economic Security are given powers to conduct pre-trial investigations in criminal proceedings (1), 201(3), 201(4) UKU.
Pre-trial investigation of crimes under Article 201(1) of the Criminal Code, information about which is entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations before the entry into force of this law, continues to be carried out by investigative security agencies.
Taking into account the reform of the Bureau of Economic Security planned for 2024, as well as taking into account the proposals of the Ministries of Justice and Finance, the gradual entry into force of the provisions of the law on the introduction of criminal liability for: smuggling of excisable goods – from January 1, 2024, smuggling of all other goods – from July 2024.
As Ukrinform reported, on December 9, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law “On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine and the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine regarding the criminalization of smuggling of goods and excisable goods, as well as false declaration of goods.”
The adoption of this law was part of the requirements for receiving macro-financial assistance from the EU for 1.5 billion euros.