Individual licensing and longlasting criminal case against agricompany are finally discontinued

Subject of complaint: Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), Kyiv Customs of the SFS (Kyiv Customs), Ministry of Economic Development and Trade (MEDT).
Complaint in brief: From January till September 2017, the BOC had received three complaints from an agricultural enterprise that distributes pesticides, concerning actions of the SSU, the Kyiv Customs and the MEDT.
According to the Complainant, in 2016, the SSU unreasonably opened a criminal case against him for smuggling plant protection products. Company’s imported goods worth over UAH 300k were seized.
Apart from it, the MEDT imposed a fine of individual licensing on the company. To conduct any foreign economic transaction, the Complainant had to receive a license.
Agribusiness operations were completely paralyzed and only caused owners losses, employees of the company faced the risk of dismissal.
Actions taken: During the year, the BOC has been working on the enterprise’s complaints. The BOC investigator turned with a reasoned position in support of the Complaint to the Prosecutor General’s Office, the National Police, the MEDT and the Kyiv Customs. In addition, the agricompany cases were several times considered at working group meetings of the BOC with appropriate state bodies.
Result achieved: With the assistance of the Council, the MEDT cancelled individual licensing of the Complainant. In December 2017, the SSU informed that the criminal proceeding against the company is closed and the withdrawn property is returned to him.