The defense of the company "Attollo Granum", illegally owning part of the terminal "Olympex" expressed comments to the judge of the Shevchenkovsky district court of Kiev Marina Antonyuk, accusing her of bias. The judge decided that she was challenged and closed the hearing on the case of gray grain exports, reports UNN.
During the hearing to consider the request of the Bureau of Economic Security to arrest the seized grain at the Olympex terminal, the lawyer of Attollo Granum handed the court remarks prepared on the grounds of the previous hearing. In them, Yaroshenko pointed out that the judge had not given him enough time to prepare for the hearing. In the lawyer's opinion, the judge sided with the investigation during the hearing.
In response to the judge's clarifying question, counsel stated that "there is no basis for recusal of the judge at this time.
Despite this, the judge decided to refer his comments to another judge for consideration as an application for her recusal.
In the content of the document submitted for attachment to the case file under the title "Remarks" there are circumstances, which, according to lawyer Yaroshenko, raise doubts about the impartiality of the investigating judge ... and therefore such a statement is perceived by the investigating judge as an application for recusal of the investigating judge
She noted that she would turn the file over to another judge to consider the recusal application.
Supplement
Earlier UNN told that according to investigation, in the period from 2021 to 2023, when the grain terminal was managed by the company of Odessa businessmen Sergey Groza and Vladimir Naumenko "Olympex Coupe Insurance", officials of "Ecotrans" Ltd, using their own production facilities of the oil extraction plant and details of controlled enterprises of suppliers (producers), purchased and processed agricultural products for cash, which they subsequently sold to controlled enterprises and "risky" exporters.
During the court hearing it became clear that the company "Attollo Granum", which probably illegally acquired half of the grain terminal, was involved in the case. According to the company's lawyer, law enforcers seized 100 thousand tons of agricultural products during searches that lasted 10 days. Part of the seized property, in particular, corn, was transferred for storage to Ferko LLC, controlled by Groza and Naumenko. This company is involved in another criminal case on tax evasion through gray export of grain.
Detective Sidorenko of the Economic Security Bureau, who was present at the hearing, explained that during the investigative actions it was established that the criminal scheme used the details of front companies, and the grain was bought for cash in order to evade taxes. At the same time, according to him, during the searches, representatives of Attollo Granum LLC did not provide law enforcers with documents about the owners and origin of the grain.
The detective also told the judge that the investigation revealed that the crimes at the Olympex terminal, particularly the portion of it operated by Attollo Granum, were still ongoing.
It is worth noting that just the entry of a new fact in the ERDR and the consolidation of cases will be a reasonable basis for the arrest of grain and prevention of criminal activity.
In particular, Ecotrans used the details of more than four dozen LLCs. Among them, there are several companies that have previously been involved in other criminal proceedings for tax evasion.
In particular, SOOO Sintez and SGPP Yelanetskoe LLC appear in case for tax evasion on a particularly large scale, where Groza and Naumenko's company Olympics Coupe International, dated January 29, 2021, appears together with them.
In addition to Olympex Coupe International, the case involves other companies that are part of Groza and Naumenko's agroholding GNT Group or controlled by them. In particular, they are Ferko LLC, Metalsukrein Corp Ltd, Grain Transshipment Complex Inzernoexport LLC and Vtormeteksport LLC.
These companies also used a common scheme of "gray" exports - details of "risky" companies. Investigators pointed out that Groza and Naumenko's companies evaded paying VAT by almost 37.5m hryvnias.
In both cases Sintez and SGVP Yelanetskoe were cited by the violators as alleged owners of the grain.
However, this is not the only coincidence in the criminal proceedings. In both cases, the Olimpix grain terminal, which was managed by Groza and Naumenko's company, shipped grain to Agiros LLC.
This company belongs to the well-known smuggler Vadim Alperin, against whom the National Security and Defense Council imposed sanctions in 2021 and who was stripped of his Ukrainian citizenship.
That is, this is yet another confirmation of Groza and Naumenko's active cooperation with the under-sanctioned Alperin.
It is possible that the investigation will combine these cases into one big one.
As found out UNN, it was "Agiros" Alperin helped Odessa businessmen to export to Egypt more than 20 thousand tons of corn, which was probably pledged to the American fund and allegedly disappeared from the warehouses of the grain terminal. By the way, another criminal proceeding was opened against Groza and Naumenko for embezzlement of pledged property.
Recall
Earlier we reported on other facts of Groza and Naumenko's cooperation with sub-sanctioned companies. In particular, the businessmen continued to trade with Black Sea Commodities Trading Limited even after Ukraine imposed sanctions against it in April 2021 on suspicion of smuggling.
Moreover, it turned out that Ukraine has an extensive network of companies with Russian roots. At first glance, the seemingly inconspicuous companies that are part of or do business with the GNT Group holding operate in the agricultural sector, which is now of strategic importance in terms of filling the budget of our country, against which Russia has unleashed a large-scale war.
The parliamentary committee for national security believes that sanctions should be imposed against Groza, Naumenko and their business for such cooperation. The SNBO noted that the body is ready to consider this issue after relevant proposals, in particular, from the SBU.