A Lithuania-registered company exporting vehicles has been fined 13.6 million euros for violating international sanctions, the Lithuanian Customs reported on Wednesday.
Six semi-trailers for trucks were also detained and confiscated, the Customs said.
The Customs did not name the company in its press release.
However, BNS later reported, quoting two independent sources, that it is Biovarda, a Vilnius-based company. Its CEO Andrej Bozko refused to comment on the situation when approached by BNS.
The company reportedly failed to ensure compliance with sanctions in its transactions with companies registered in Kazakhstan, Belarus and Turkey, the Customs said. Transporting the detained vehicles to their recipients was therefore deemed a violation of international sanctions.
This is not the first time that companies have been subjected to such a measure for breaches of the Law on International Sanctions, following the introduction of enhanced screening measures by the Lithuanian Customs.
Soaring revenue in 2022
According to investigation data available to BNS, more than 200 vehicles exported via Lithuania to Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Turkey were registered in Russia, probably before even reaching those countries. The six seized vehicles were purchased by a Belarusian company.
According to Biovarda’s website, the company sells and supplies trucks and luxury cars. The Rekvizitai.lt portal indicates that the company exports vehicles specifically to Kazakhstan, Belarus, and Turkey.
According to the Centre of Registers data, Jūratė Pacyno has been the sole shareholder of the company, founded in 2018, since November 2023.
Prior to that, Bozko, the current CEO of the company, was the sole shareholder of Biovarda from December 2022, and before that, Henrikas Pacyno, the founder of the company.
According to the Centre of Registers, Biovarda is located in Vilnius, in Švenčionių Street, but the company’s website lists its address in Kuprioniškės, Vilnius District.
The company has not submitted its financial statements for 2023 to the Centre of Registers.
In 2022, Biovarda generated the revenue of 2.8 million euros and made a net profit of 48,000 euros.
In other years, the company’s revenue ranged from 0 to 17,000 euros.
Biovarda closed the years 2018–2021 with a net loss.
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