Bribery from an agricultural holding: NABU exposed a €21 million legalization scheme
20.06.2024 - 16:43
The ex-head of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine received a bribe for VAT reimbursement to agricultural holding companies. Subsequently, this money was “legalized”.
Details of the scheme were disclosed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
We will remind you that on October 17, 2022, NABU and SAP exposed the ex-head of the Federal Tax Service for receiving a record bribe of $5.5 million and more than 21 million euros from the owner of an agricultural holding.
The ex-chairman received a bribe for VAT reimbursement to agricultural holding companies.
Thus, from December 2015 to March 2016, a person close to the head of the Federal Tax Service contributed to receiving part of a bribe of more than 13 million euros to the accounts of a controlled non-resident company (British Virgin Islands).
Already in May 2017 – April 2018, the entire sum of the received bribe was legalized. The money was spent on the purchase of an unfinished residential and office complex with parking, which continued to be built and receive additional income, in particular in 2022-2023.
At the end of 2023, NABU and Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office managed to seize 81 real estate objects and more than UAH 30 million, which the owner of a group of construction companies acquired thanks to legalized funds.
The other part of the bribe for 7.9 million euros, which was in the accounts of another controlled non-resident company (British Virgin Islands), was legalized by the adviser of the top official.
In total, he laundered 5.5 million US dollars by concluding an agency contract in January 2017. And in April – August 2018 – another 2.8 million euros as payment under sales contracts.
According to a number of Ukrainian media, we are talking about Oleg Bakhmatyuk, the owner of the agricultural holding “Ukrlandfarming” and Roman Nasirov, the former head of the Federal Tax Service of Ukraine.
Previously, USM reported that in June 2024, the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, signed Law No. 10168-2 on the fight against “black grain” and the non-return of currency extortion.
