The head of Ukraine’s State Customs Service, Maksym Nefyodov, has said his agency, which has been beset with corruption problems, will undergo a huge makeover next year and that he has started taking steps toward that goal, according to a presentation he gave to business associations, diplomats, donors, and political stakeholders in Kyiv on December 11.
Eighty percent of his Kyiv staff and 40 percent of officials at border posts have been purged, his "New Customs" plan says.
Nefyodov, a former investment banker, has had free rein to revamp the customs service since the old agency was abolished earlier this year.
In previous interviews given this year, Nefyodov said state coffers lose between $4 billion and $8 billion due to corruption.
"Furthermore, there are indirect losses from the decline in business activities, the deterioration of the business climate, tax evasion and illegal employment. Companies that operate in the shadows can’t attract loans and develop further," he told Business News Europe about his policy of zero tolerance of corruption.
Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk praised the customs service head's initial moves.
"I personally warn every bribe-taker or smuggler that the time of the schemes on which you made a fortune have passed," he said.
Additionally, according to Nefyodov's vision, seized goods will be auctioned online on an existing platform that is used for public procurement.
Twelve border checkpoints are slated for renovation and 11 mobile scanners will be installed.
Huge Purges Start At Ukrainian Customs Agency

Editors' Picks
Top Trending
1
'It Is Hell There': Zelenskiy Says Russian Bombardments Have Completely Destroyed Donbas Region
2Nordic Firepower: The Native Military Hardware Sweden, Finland Would Bring To NATO
3Zelenskiy Mocks Russia's Claim Of Laser Weapon Ready To Deploy In Ukraine
4Corned Beef And Cocaine: Putin’s Men, The Israeli Smugglers, And The Great St. Petersburg Drug Bust
5Popular Russian Rocker Charged Over Critical Statement About War In Ukraine
6Ukrainian Troops Taken From Azovstal Steelworks, Yielding Strategic City Of Mariupol To Russia
7Interview: Can Ukraine's Military Continue To Outperform Russian Forces?
8Vladimir Putin And The Missing Cocaine
9Russia's Capture Of Azovstal: Symbolic Success, 'Pyrrhic' Victory?
10Destroyed Russian Military Equipment On Display In New Ukrainian Museum Exhibit
Subscribe