The Liuboml District Court of the Volyn Oblast has fined the former director of «Viktoria Leader Group» over 186 million UAH for a large-scale customs fraud scheme involving the import of vehicles and goods from the EU. Investigators revealed that the company utilized fictitious contracts and forged EUR.1 certificates to evade customs controls. Despite numerous court rulings, local law enforcement agencies, including the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine (BEB) and the Volyn police, have yet to shut down the operation completely.
Court records confirm that throughout 2022–2023, the head of the company, registered in the village of Sokorychi in the Volyn region, systematically submitted falsified data to the Volyn Customs. The documentation claimed that the supplier of the imported used cars, trucks, tractor-units, and semi-trailers was a Maltese company named CARS UNLIMITED. The total value of the illegally imported goods reached 186 million UAH.
The scheme unraveled following an official inquiry by Ukrainian authorities to the Republic of Malta. Maltese customs authorities responded that CARS UNLIMITED does not exist as a legal entity, operating merely as a registered trademark. Furthermore, the individual listed as the director had no affiliation with the trademark, and contract No. CV-09/2022 was proven to be a complete forgery.
The court concluded that the company’s director, Liudmyla Horkavchuk (born 1975), was fully aware of the fictitious nature of these foreign economic relations. She was found guilty of violating customs regulations under Part 1 of Article 483 of the Customs Code of Ukraine (moving goods across the customs border by concealing them from customs control via falsified documents).
Court Ruling: «To impose a fine on the offender in the amount of 100 percent of the value of the direct subjects of the violation, totaling 186,156,000 UAH.»
Reports indicate that Horkavchuk, widely regarded as a nominal director or «front person» for the operation, faces dozens of similar cases in the judicial register. Just late last April, the same court fined her 16.7 million UAH for the illegal import of luxury vehicles, including a Bentley Bentayga and Range Rover models.
Despite clear judicial precedents establishing a systemic pattern of fraud involving EUR.1 certificates and tax evasion, the Territorial Department of BEB in the Volyn Oblast and the local police have not yet pressed charges against the actual organizers of the scheme. Independent journalists and anti-corruption activists note that comprehensive actions against «Viktoria Leader Group» appear to be stalled at the regional law enforcement level.