State-Sanctioned Theft: A Paradise for Car Thieves in Ukraine
In Ukraine, the government is allowed to sell or use cars that have been stolen in other countries. The law creates the perfect conditions for organized gangs who steal luxury cars to order in Western Europe. There are even allegations that the Ukrainian justice minister’s official car was illegally appropriated in Germany.
The Ukrainian parliament is notorious for its debating culture. Differences of opinion are sometimes settled with fists. But in most cases the arguments are not about politics but about holding on to perks. That was the case last week, when the country’s 450 elected representatives argued over an €80,000 ($106,000) German luxury car.
Valery Konovalyuk, a presidential adviser and member of the governing party’s parliamentary group, made the accusation that Justice Minister Oleksandr Lavrynovych, the country’s highest-ranking law enforcement officer, was being chauffeured around Kiev in an SUV that had been stolen in Germany, a 306-horsepower Mercedes-Benz GL 420.
It’s also important to know that Konovalyuk has been hounding the minister for weeks, because the two men are fighting on opposing sides over the pending award of a government contract worth billions.
Lavrynovych declined to comment on the charges. But his rival Konovalyuk managed to come up with a vehicle registration that was issued to the Justice Ministry and included a chassis number that matched that of the Mercedes, which was already reported to Interpol as stolen. This is clear evidence, provided the evidence is genuine.
A spokesman quickly pointed out that Lavrynovych “personally” doesn’t even own a Mercedes. But the charge that the minister’s official car is stolen shines a spotlight on the relationship between Ukrainian politicians and criminals in Ukraine, a country that wants to join the European Union — and yet tends to look the other way when it comes to organized crime.
Not Breaking the Law
A number of years ago, the Ukrainian government decreed that the state could sell confiscated cars that were stolen in other countries or add them to its motor pool. This even applies when the vehicles are on an Interpol list. In other words, Justice Minister Lavrynovych wouldn’t even be violating Ukrainian laws by driving a car that was stolen in Germany.