Source: Ukragroconsult (Ukraine)
The investigation assumes that these companies imported thousands of tons of grain into Poland and concealed its origin and destination. This was reported by Rzeczpospolita with reference to the public prosecutor’s office in Rzeszów.
It should be noted that the criminal proceedings in the case of fraud involving Ukrainian grain in Poland involve 75 companies. Suspicion has already been directed at seventeen people.
“The investigation concerns companies registered in Poland. There are no Ukrainian companies among them. The suspects are mainly Polish citizens, but also Ukrainian citizens and one Estonian citizen,” said Dorota Sokolowska-Mach, spokeswoman for the public prosecutor’s office.
The investigation assumes that these companies imported thousands of tons of grain to Poland and concealed its origin and intended use. Technical grain can be used for ethanol production or as a bio-component for biofuels, for example, but was sold for flour production immediately after import.
According to the report, the lifting of tariffs on agricultural imports from Ukraine by the EU in 2022 after the outbreak of the First World War led to uncontrolled imports of cheap grain and rapeseed into Poland.
The goods were bought up by middlemen directly at the border and sold in Poland as Polish.