In Odessa, ARMA was allowed to sell a car for $282,000 in a case involving VAT schemes

A court in Odesa has transferred a 2021 Lamborghini Urus—seized in connection with a case of alleged tax evasion—to ARMA for sale. The estimated value of the vehicle is $282,000.

The Center for Public Investigations examined the details of the case.

According to a ruling by the Khadzhibey District Court of Odesa dated October 13, 2026, the case concerns the activities of Granit-001 LLC, a road construction company. According to the investigation, in 2019–2020, the company received over 178.2 million hryvnias in budget funds for road repairs but failed to properly report its tax liabilities.

As a result, according to law enforcement officials, the budget lost more than 23.4 million hryvnias in VAT revenue. The defendant in the case is a businessman whom investigators consider to be the de facto head of the road construction company.

According to the investigation, the man left Ukraine in July 2020 and is currently in the Russian Federation. At the same time, according to court records, he holds citizenship of both Armenia and the Russian Federation. In August 2023, he was placed on the wanted list, and in July 2026, the court imposed a pretrial detention order on him in absentia.

Law enforcement officers seized the Lamborghini Urus during a search on July 6, 2023. The next day, the car was recognized as material evidence, and subsequently, a seizure order was issued for it. The court granted the motion filed by a BEB detective and transferred the car to ARMA for sale. 

This is likely the car belonging toAraik Amirkhanyan. As Intent reported, in 2021, the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions on him and revoked his Ukrainian citizenship. In 2023, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) notified him that he was a suspect in a case involving the alleged embezzlement of public funds during road repairs.

Анна Літман