Mykolaiv Entrepreneur Evades 35M in Taxes, Faces Investigation

An entrepreneur from Mykolaiv region evaded taxes for four years and concealed more than UAH 35 million in income.

The investigating judge of the Novodesskyi District Court of Mykolaiv Region approved a motion to extend the pre-trial investigation in the case of large-scale tax evasion. The defendant in the case is an individual entrepreneur who, using the simplified taxation system, concealed income in the amount of over UAH 35 million in 2020-2023.

According to the investigation, the entrepreneur officially registered the type of activity as an auxiliary activity in crop production, but in fact was engaged in the purchase and sale of agricultural products, crushed stone, sand and the provision of transportation services using his own truck fleet. In order to evade taxes, he deliberately submitted false information in tax returns.

During the pre-trial investigation, it was established that during the specified period, the suspect evaded taxes in the amount of more than UAH 5.6 million, including a single tax, personal income tax and military duty. On September 6, 2024, he was served a notice of suspicion of committing a criminal offense under Part 1 of Art. 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (tax evasion).

Based on the evidence collected, including the conclusions of economic examinations, search reports and analysis of bank transactions, the court decided to extend the pre-trial investigation until March 6, 2025. The investigation is ongoing, with law enforcement officers continuing to collect evidence and check all the circumstances of possible financial fraud.

In another case, on the contrary, the court found no grounds for detaining the defendant in the case of tax evasion in the export of agricultural products. According to the investigation, in 2022, the director of Medea Lux exported agricultural products without paying taxes worth more than UAH 18.9 million.

The decision for 2022 states that more than 130 companies were involved in these schemes, and the total amount of unpaid taxes reached almost UAH 2 billion.

In addition, law enforcement officers are investigating the financial activities of the Mykolaiv Alumina Plant, which was previously owned by Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska. They are currently collecting data on the company's bank accounts, including closed accounts, cash balances, financial transactions, and identification of counterparties.

Анна Бальчінос