20-02-2012
For border Transcarpathia illegal business on smuggling migrants to the countries of European Union from Asian and African countries has become a usual phenomenon already for a long time. Many international crime syndicates make a million fortune on it. Some local residents of border regions of Transcarpathia snatch a large sum in this business, who hide illegal migrants for a definite fee and assist in their transportation abroad knowing the locality well. Though, the law enforcement agent unmasked some serious criminal groups in the course of some past years and also those with international relations, new and new groupings appear each time. This criminal became too eager.
33-year-old resident of the village Dubrynychi, Perechyn district V. also was caught at this prohibited trade. As follows from the materials of bill of indictment, this guy agreed to participate in organization of illegal transportation of illegal migrants through the state border ofUkraineto Slovakian republic last year in June. Evidently, he did it not for the first time.
At night a person delivered four citizens ofAfghanistanto V. (there were two minors and their mother among them). During some days, the young boy hided the migrants at his house. Certainly, he did it for nothing. He waited when the migrants would be taken by other participants of criminal group aiming at illegal transpiration through the state border ofUkraine. However, law enforcement agents learned about this and then V. with his “lodgers” were detained.
The guy was called to criminal responsibility for assistance in organization of smuggling illegal migrants through the border in accordance with Article 2 of Criminal Code of Ukraine. After investigation had finished the case was passed to the court and V. was condemned to five years of imprisonment by the sentence of Perechyn District Court in August 2011.
However, the court freed him from serving his sentence with period of probation for three years. He was also entrusted with the duty not to leaveUkrainefor permanent residence without permission of Criminal Executive Inspection, report about the change of his place of residence, work or education and from time to time to come for registration at these bodies.
Perechyn Prosecutor’s Office appealed against the decisions of the court of the first instance regarding the assigned punishment to be too lenient, which does not correspond to gravity of the violation. Indeed, the sanction of the Article of CC, as to which the smuggler of illegal migrants was condemned, stipulates the real punishment – for the period of 3 to 7 years of imprisonment with confiscation of instruments of crime. The court also did not take into account the fact that accused was called to criminal responsibility not for the first time. That is why the prosecutor asked in his appeal to cancel the sentence and resolve a new one – impose more severe punishment without the period of probation.
Filed appeal in December 2011 was considered by the Appeal Court of Transcarpathian region. Weighing the facts that condemned person has two children, he repented at investigation and assisted in disclosure of the crime, theRegional Courtleft him the previous conditional term of sentence.