Mykolaiv region uncovers fraud with grain export taxes

A case has been opened in Mykolaiv region over possible tax evasion on grain exports. Law enforcement officers are checking how the money was transferred through the company's bank accounts and who was behind the scheme.

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

Investigators in the Mykolaiv region have gained access to the financial documents of Green Corn as part of a criminal investigation into tax evasion worth tens of millions of hryvnias. According to the pre-trial investigation, the company has bank accounts in hryvnia and dollars in several Ukrainian banks, and the documents contain payment orders, checks, contracts and powers of attorney that allow tracking the movement of money and verifying the legality of financial transactions.

The investigation materials show that the former director of the company, who headed Green Corn LLC from November 2020 to July 2021, exported agricultural products worth more than UAH 109 million, while the investigation failed to establish the origin of the products.

The current director, who has been in office since July 2024, allegedly abused his position, concealed the object of taxation and failed to file tax returns for 2021. According to preliminary estimates, more than UAH 19 million in income tax was not paid to the state due to these actions.

The court granted the investigators' motion and provided access to documents containing bank secrecy. These include cards with signature samples, account opening agreements, questionnaires, powers of attorney and other documents confirming the movement of funds.

If the documents are not provided voluntarily, investigators have the right to search the premises of Green Corn LLC to seize them. The investigation is being conducted under part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for liability for tax evasion on a particularly large scale.

Last year, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine uncovered a large-scale scheme to embezzle grain from the state reserve on the territory of the State Enterprise Bread Base No. 76 in the village of Kavuny, Mykolaiv region.

According to the investigation, since October 2020, the scheme participants have illegally exported and sold more than 1300 tons of wheat and barley worth over UAH 12 million. The case involves the former deputy head of the State Reserve, the management of a state-owned enterprise, and representatives of a private company.

Анна Бальчінос