Mykolaiv court returns soybean harvest to buyer despite payment fraud

The court lifted the seizure of the soybean harvest involved in a fraud case worth almost UAH 23 million. At the same time, the court rejected a request to change the place of storage of the grain - it will remain at the elevator.

This is evidenced by the ruling of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

The court granted Lebedynskyi Seed Plant's motion and lifted the seizure of 1,390 tons of soybeans imposed as part of a criminal investigation into fraud. The seizure had been in effect since December 2024. At the same time, the court denied the company's request to change the place of storage of the grain.

This is a dispute between several companies. In the fall of 2024, Avalon LTD grew soybeans on its fields in the Kyiv region and transferred them for storage to Olam Bilotserkivskyi Elevator LLC. Subsequently, representatives of Lebedynskyi Seed Plant PJSC offered to buy this soybean in the amount of 1,390 tons from Avalon LTD. The parties agreed on a price of UAH 22.9 million and signed the documents.

However, the funds were not transferred to Avalon LTD's account specified in the contract within the agreed timeframe. Instead, 86% of the amount was transferred to another account. The investigation later found that this account had been opened by fraudsters without the knowledge of the company's management using forged documents and an electronic signature.

In this regard, the company reported fraudulent actions, and on December 2, 2024, the court arrested 1390 tons of soybeans stored in a warehouse in Bila Tserkva. The court noted that the products themselves are not the subject of the crime - the proceedings concern the funds that were transferred to a fake account. In addition, during the five months of the pre-trial investigation, no one was notified of suspicion, and the guilt of the company's officials was not proven.

Representatives of the prosecutor's office and Avalon LTD objected to the motion. They emphasized that the pre-trial investigation was ongoing and reminded that the court had previously ordered the company to change the place of storage of soybeans, but this decision has not yet been implemented due to technical difficulties.

The court eventually decided to cancel the seizure of the soybeans, but decided that the grain would remain at the elevator in Bila Tserkva. Now Lebedynskyi Seed Plant PrJSC will be able to dispose of it.

Earlier, the investigator filed a motion with the court for permission to access documents related to the cooperation between the two companies. The court allowed the documents to be seized, in particular, for expert examinations. Law enforcement officers are currently identifying the range of people who may be involved in the crime.

Анна Бальчінос