Ukrainian Cruise Passenger Nabbed for Tax Evasion on Arrival in Germany

Pixabay

Published Aug 13, 2024 10:36 PM by The Maritime Executive

 

Last weekend, a Ukrainian man was arrested aboard the cruise ship MSC Euribia in Kiel for an outstanding warrant for tax evasion. If he had stayed outside of Germany, he would have gone free, according to the local authorities - but as it stands, he will have to serve more than three years in prison. 

MSC Euribia operates a week-long round trip route between Kiel, Copenhagen and Norway. When the ship returned to port in Kiel, the authorities checked the passenger manifest and found a wanted name: a 53-year-old Ukrainian man with an active warrant. The man had previously been deported, and he faced a remaining prison sentence of more than 1,100 days if he ever returned - a sentence he will now have to serve.

"Why he traveled back to Germany despite the circumstances will probably remain his secret, especially since the arrest warrant would no longer have been valid in a year," a spokesperson for the Kiel police force told Hamburger Abendblatt.

It was not the first time that a wanted man got picked up because of the Euribia's passenger manifest. In July, the Kiel police found and arrested a 36-year-old German national who had been released from prison and had failed to return to serve out a sentence for drunk driving. The man gave himself up when confronted and returned for the remaining 15 days of his sentence, according to Abdenblatt. 

MSC Euribia is a brand new, family-oriented cruise ship with space for up to 4,800 passengers. It runs on LNG, and currently serves the German and Scandinavian markets. As of Tuesday Euribia was operating off Norway, with four planned port calls before returning to Kiel.