Law enforcers uncover shadow grain export operations in Mykolaiv region

The court granted investigators access to documents in a case involving the export of soybeans. The company concealed significant income and tried to avoid paying taxes.

This is stated in the ruling of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

The judge ruled to grant temporary access to items and documents that are key to the criminal proceedings on large-scale tax evasion. The relevant motion was filed by investigators of the Main Department of the National Police in Mykolaiv region and was approved by the prosecutor's office.

According to the investigation, between August and December 2023, officials of Sunrise MK LLC concealed from taxation an object of taxation worth more than UAH 218 million related to the export of soybeans. As a result, the company avoided paying income tax on a particularly large scale - almost UAH 39.4 million.

As part of the pre-trial investigation, the court granted investigators access to a number of documents, including foreign economic contracts, customs declarations, invoices, certificates of quality and origin, shipping documents and accounting records. According to the investigators, all these materials are important for establishing a complete picture of the criminal scheme.

According to media reports, the history of Sunrise MK is linked to the former head of the state-owned enterprise Bread Base No. 76 Vadym Avtenyuk and his close relatives. Back in 2021, law enforcement officers conducted searches at the company's office in Mykolaiv, where they seized seals of more than 27 fictitious companies.

Investigators found that the group used fake documents and fictitious companies to try to legalize funds by avoiding taxes on soybean exports.

The value of such transactions, which were not accounted for in the reporting, is over UAH 218 million.

When Sunrise MK's products were seized at the port, the company voluntarily compensated the tax debt of UAH 6.5 million. Investigators now have access to the necessary documents to fully investigate the case, and in case of obstruction, they can obtain a search warrant to seize evidence.

Law enforcement officers also uncovered a large-scale financial fraud with grain worth about half a billion hryvnias. According to the investigation, a group of entrepreneurs from Mykolaiv and Odesa regions exported grain abroad through fictitious companies and did not return the foreign exchange earnings to Ukraine.

Анна Бальчінос