Businesses from Odesa and Mykolaiv regions are suspected of fraud with agricultural exports worth almost UAH 500 million

Law enforcement officers have uncovered a large-scale scheme to withdraw funds abroad under the guise of exporting agricultural products.

This is reported by “Intent” with reference to the ruling of the Central District Court of Mykolaiv.

The court considered the prosecutor’s office’s motion to seize the property of the alleged participants in the transaction. Among the assets are real estate, luxury cars, accounts and corporate rights.

According to the investigation, entrepreneurs from Odesa and Mykolaiv regions organized the supply of grain through fictitious companies, without returning foreign currency proceeds to Ukraine.

The parties to the proceedings are four companies: LLC “Chernihiv Industrial Milk Company”, LLC “Akvaprom Yug”, LLC “Arida Company” and LLC “Harvest-Grain”. According to the documents, they exported agricultural products to Turkey, Belarus and other countries, however, according to the investigation, there was no real supply – it was only about fictitious documents and the transfer of funds into cash.

In particular, the company “Harvest-Grain” allegedly exported soybeans of Ukrainian origin to Turkey for more than 473 million UAH. The products were declared as the 2023 harvest, produced by LLC “Chernihiv Industrial Dairy Company”. The cargo weighing almost 30 thousand tons was formally handled by the controlled enterprise Trinity agriculture and C.o. s.r.o.

The customs documents indicated different volumes and values: in addition to the declaration for 11.98 million US dollars, another one was also issued – for a much smaller amount, about 92 million UAH.

It was also established that part of the soybeans of undetermined origin were stored in the warehouses of the State Enterprise “Reniysky Sea Trade Port” with subsequent export. Investigators believe that this scheme made it possible to avoid paying income tax and withdraw foreign currency outside the country.

Despite the evidence presented, the court refused to impose an arrest on the property. The investigation is ongoing, and according to the investigation, the defendants repeatedly created new companies, entered into fictitious contracts with foreign companies, and transferred funds abroad.

The investigation also does not exclude participation in the scheme of conversion centers that could provide services for tax evasion and legalization of income. Some of the companies involved in this case have previously been mentioned in criminal proceedings.

Earlier, USM reported that a company that exported Ukrainian agricultural products through the port of Odesa region evaded taxes.