Mykolaiv Court Rejects Detention of Suspect in Tax Evasion Case

The Mykolaiv court found no grounds to detain the suspect, who was involved in a case of tax evasion from agricultural exports. The total amount of losses in the case amounted to almost UAH 2 billion.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Central Court.

On January 28, 2025, the investigating judge considered the investigator's motion for permission to detain the head of Medea Lux LLC. The motion was motivated by the fact that the suspect, who is wanted, is evading investigative actions.

According to the investigation, the person, being the director of Medea Lux LLC, exported agricultural products in 2022, evading taxes in the amount of more than UAH 18.9 million. The value of the products amounted to over UAH 105 million.

The pre-trial investigation established that in April 2021, the suspect developed a criminal tax evasion scheme. She intentionally failed to submit reports for 2022 related to the calculation and payment of taxes, which led to significant financial losses to the state budget due to non-payment of income tax.

Acting deliberately and for mercenary reasons, the ex-director of the company organized tax evasion by conducting export operations through MEDEA LUX LLC. The scheme involved the export of agricultural products outside Ukraine without declaring income from their sale.

As a result, the company evaded payment of taxes, duties and other mandatory payments to the state budget using undeclared profits from the export of grain, oilseeds and other crops.

On December 30, 2024, she was notified of suspicion under Part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (tax evasion). On January 20, 2025, she was put on the national and international wanted list.

However, the court refused to grant a detention warrant because the prosecutor did not provide sufficient evidence that the suspect was deliberately evading justice. It also turned out that the suspect had been living in Germany before the notice of suspicion and had a residence permit in that country.

The court noted that the notice of suspicion was not properly served, and therefore there were no legal grounds for detention. Therefore, the investigator's motion was dismissed.

According to YouControl, MEDEA LUX LLC was registered in 2021 in the Kyiv region with an authorized capital of UAH 64,975. The founder is currently a citizen of the Kyrgyz Republic, Chinkooyev Attokur. Until October 1, 2024, the company's director was Inna Hryhorieva, a resident of Mykolaiv. Earlier, by court order of January 06, 2025, two apartments of the suspect were seized.

The ruling, dated 2022, states that more than 130 companies participated in these schemes, and the amount of unpaid taxes totaled almost UAH 2 billion.

Earlier, the Mykolaiv MP was served a notice of suspicion of organizing a fraudulent scheme to seize grain and misappropriate UAH 23 million. After the outbreak of hostilities, he illegally seized the cargo, sold it, and to conceal the crime, he filed a statement with the police about the destruction of grain as a result of shelling.

In addition, the SBU blocked the supply of strategic raw materials for the Russian military industry. At the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, the court seized raw materials worth more than UAH 2 billion that belonged to Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. These products were intended for his company, which produces components for Russian military equipment, including components for Iskander ballistic missiles, combat drones and radar systems.

Анна Бальчінос