UOC eparchy wins court case over fine for humanitarian aid to Kherson

A truck with humanitarian aid from the Rivne Eparchy. Photo: rivne.church.ua

The Rivne Eparchy of the UOC won a court case against Ukrtransbezpeka (the State Service of Ukraine for Transport Safety) over the fine for humanitarian transport to Kherson, reports the press service of the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC.

Two months after the delivery of humanitarian aid to Kherson, the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC had to face unexpected difficulties: the owner of the lorry received a fine from Ukrtransbezpeka in the amount of 18,869 hryvnias for exceeding the permissible weight by 10%.

Despite the fact that it was a humanitarian cargo, the fine was double the amount and sent to a different address – the village of Karpylivka, Volyn region, which made it impossible to appeal in time.

“Before travelling, I personally appealed to the Rivne Department of Ukrtransbezpeka about the possibility of overloading, because the lorry was loaded by ordinary people, priests, laymen and could incorrectly place the cargo. The department assured me that everything would be fine and I had nothing to worry about,” said the head of the social department, Archpriest Petro Peretiatko.

As it turned out later, the head of the social department had a reason for concerns. Kivertsi executive service in the Volyn region opened enforcement proceedings and recovered the debt from the owner of the lorry in the amount of 18,869 UAH.

“We started calling the hotlines of Ukrtransbezpeka hotlines, the government line, we were assured that if this is humanitarian aid, the ruling will be cancelled,” says Fr. Petro. “We provided the relevant documents on the delivery of humanitarian aid, but, unfortunately, we received a refusal in response.”

The Rivne Eparchy of the UOC tried to cancel the ruling by appealing to Ukrtransbezpeka with the relevant documents confirming the humanitarian nature of the cargo. However, due to missed appeal deadlines, the appeal was rejected, and the only option was the court.

The trial, which lasted eight months, ended in a victory for the Eparchy of Rivne. The court recognised that the fine was unjustly imposed because the transport was carried out to support the residents of the frontline areas, not for personal gain. The appeal by Ukrtransbezpeka was rejected.

“The court's decision emphasised the importance of understanding and supporting those who provide assistance to people in the frontline areas, despite the risks and difficulties. This case was evidence of the victory of justice and faith in justice standing in defence of good intentions,” the Rivne Eparchy of the UOC believes.

As reported by the UOJ, the Sviatohirsk Lavra received 20 tonnes of aid from the faithful of the Rivne Eparchy.

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