ODESA, MARCH 2nd, 2012, CONTEXT-PRICHERNOMORIE — Oleksandr Kandid, Kiliya, Odesa Region, has come back home after 9 months imprisonment in Greece after having been charged from tobacco contraband attempt, Context-Prichernomorie correspondent reports.

Executive director of the Charitable Organization Assol Ms Natalia Klamm informed today, 2 March in a telephone conversation with our correspondent.

According to Ms Klamm, 23 June, 2011 the coast guard of Greece arrested the ship INA together with the crew charged for trying to implement tobacco smuggling. The crew included two citizens of Ukraine — the boatswain and a sailor.

The press service of Charitable Organization Assol reported that “the ship had been operated on the tobacco transportation line from Cyprus for a long time. And at that time, taking the load, supported by all the necessary customs and other documents, completing all necessary procedures, it proceeded to the port of destination. While the vessel was on the way, the charterer notified that the consignees had not paid for the goods, so the ship jad to go back to the port of loading. A visit in the Greek port of Piraeus was scheduled to carry out bunkering, get provisions and fresh water supplies. In the territorial waters of Greece, the vessel awaiting the agent, was detained by the Coast Guard. Following the Coast Guard’s directions INA proceeded to the port of Eleusis. The entire crew was taken off the ship and was taken under arrest for interrogation. The crew’s personal belongings, civil documents and mobile phones were left on board. Naval documents were seized by the police. The interrogation was carried out without a lawyer.

The crew members were forced to sign some documents in the Greek language, and transferred to a prison in the port of Navplion. 29 June, 2011 after a questioning all the crew except the captain and chief mate, after the shipowner had paid the bail, the crew were released. People were left with no money, their things, documents, shelter and food. Lack of knowledge of the language and the absence of the documents made it impossible to find at least some work to pay for housing and food.”

Ms Klamm stressed that the two Ukrainian sailors returned to Ukraine 17 February. Oleksandr Kandid went to his hometown of Kiliya, and the second sailor was from Lviv Region.