A number of companies belonging to the GNT Group of businessmen Serhiy Groza and Volodymyr Naumenko evade paying taxes worth millions of hryvnias by using "risky" enterprises. This is evidenced by the materials of court decisions on criminal proceedings in which they appear, writes UNN.
Groza and Naumenko came to the attention of law enforcement officers at the end of January 2021. In particular, the territorial Department of the Bureau of economic security in the Odessa region is investigating criminal proceedings on the fact of tax evasion on a particularly large scale by four companies that are part of the GNT Group structure – LLC "Ferko", LLC "Metalzyukrein Corp Ltd", LLC "grain transshipment complex "Inzernoexport" and the enterprise "Vtormetexport".
As can be seen from the prosecution's request for the seizure of property, officials of LLC "Ferko", LLC "Metalzyukrein Corp Ltd", sooo "Urozhay", LLC "grain transshipment complex "Inzernoexport" and LLC "Vtormetexport" carry out illegal formation of a tax credit, substitution of commodity items during their sale, as well as carry out other actions aimed at tax evasion
According to the investigation, the companies Grozy and Naumenko used the details of "risky" Enterprises LLC "outstaff 19", LLC "ALICENTA trade" and LLC "SOLTEK PRRSAKT"in grain export operations.
The prosecution noted that it could have been an understatement of income tax in 2023 by a total of more than UAH 115 million.
In another decision of the Odessa Court of Appeal on the same criminal proceedings, another company controlled by Groza and Naumenko was mentioned – Olimpex Coupe International LLC, which previously managed the Olymp grain terminal.
Grain was stored there, which the Groza and Naumenko companies, according to the investigation, sold "in gray". In particular, because of this, the terminal is considered the largest gateway to "gray" grain exports. Ukraine. In particular, detectives found that the companies Grozy and Naumenko did not pay the Ukrainian budget almost 37.5 million rubles. UA
At the same time, the exporter of "gray" grain was Agiros LLC, which belongs to the well-known smuggler Vadim Alperin, against whom the national security and Defense Council imposed sanctions in 2021 and who was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship. And these cereals were shipped, according to media reports, by another company controlled by Groza and Naumenko, Attollo Granum.
By the way, according to a source UNN in law enforcement agencies, the Bureau of economic security on Wednesday is conducting searches in this company Grozy and Naumenko in the case of "gray" grain exports with the Olimpex terminal.
Another criminal proceedin ginvolving Groza and Naumenko LLC "Olimpex Coupe International" is being investigated by the territorial Department of BEB of the city of Kiev. It was opened a year later, in 2022, and also concerns "Gray" grain exports.
The case is being investigated under articles on tax evasion, forgery of documents for state registers, legalization (laundering) of proceeds from crime and illegal handling of weapons or ammunition.
The scheme used by Grozy and Naumenko's company is identical to the one used earlier, only the names of fictitious companies differ, and even then not all of them. In particular, it includes outstaff 19 LLC, which has already been mentioned in another criminal proceeding.
In addition to this company, they also used the "risky" enterprises "express all" and "AGROTRANS-group".
With their help, according to the investigation, at least 40 thousand tons of grain and oilseeds disappeared from the terminal in 2023.
Recall
The GNT Group of companies, owned by businessmen Sergey Groza and Vladimir Naumenko, in 2019 and 2021 received investment loans from two American funds for the development of the Olimpex grain terminal in the Odessa region, which it owned at that time.
These companies Groza and Naumenko, according to media reports, actively cooperated with the company of the sanctioned smuggler Vadim Alperin, who was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship.
Having decided not to return the funds to creditors, Groza and Naumenko collected loans from the Ukrainian banks Vostok and Yuzhny secured by the property of the grain terminal, which was already secured by the Americans.
Through the scheme using controlled companies and Ukrainian banks, they resold the property of Olimpex several times, thus trying to maintain control over the terminal.
Ukrainian law enforcement officers have opened several criminal cases in connection with the situation around Olimpex. And creditors, in turn, in international arbitrations demand the return of their funds and quite successfully. In particular, the English court decided to worldwide freeze the assets of Groza and Naumenko.
You can read more about the conflict over the Olimpex grain terminal in the article: "Grozy and Naumenko'S GNT Group blocked the operation of the grain terminal in Odessa. Detailed chronology of the conflict".