The Uzhhorod City District Court found Serhiy Lyakhin, the chief state inspector of the Pavlovo customs post of the Transcarpathian Customs, guilty of bribery. The court imposed a fine of UAH 51,000 on him and deprived him of the right to hold positions in customs and tax authorities for two years.
As noted in the verdict, on November 21, the court found that in January 2021, Lyakhin met with a local resident, who was acting under the control of law enforcement officers, and demanded $80 from him for each box of cigarettes transported by train to Slovakia through the Pavlovo-Matovce checkpoint. The bribe amounted to $960 for 12 boxes.
During the court hearing, the customs officer did not admit his guilt and stated that he did not help send the cigarettes, and he considered the "thank you" he received after sending the train a provocation by law enforcement officers.
The court, however, examined witness interrogation protocols, audio recordings of conversations, and documents that recorded the handing over of 1,000 marked dollars to Lyakhin. Based on this evidence, Judge Vasyl Bedyo found the customs officer guilty.
According to the NACP, in 2024, Serhiy Lyakhin received UAH 468,000 at customs and UAH 121,000 in pension. His wife owns a land plot and two houses in Uzhhorod, one of which has not yet been put into operation. The verdict can be appealed.
