More than 800 billion hryvnias a year is lost to the Ukrainian budget due to shadow economy, including gray export of grain - expert

Ukraine's budget annually receives more than 800 billion hryvnias due to the shadow economy, including “gray” grain exports. After the large-scale invasion of russia, the percentage of illegal business increased to 37%. This opinion was expressed by economic expert Oleg Pendzin in an exclusive commentary UNN.

"In real reality at the moment in Ukraine - from 35 to 37% of the shadow economy. Calculations are different, before the war it was 32%, now it has grown. The total amount of under-receipt of funds to the state budget, not paid by the shadow economy, somewhere 800-850 billion UAH per year", - said Pendzin.

According to him, it should be understood that shadow economy exists in any country, i.e. no state has completely overcome corruption and shadow economy. However, in more developed countries illegal business accounts for only 10-12%.

Pendzin said that the percentage of shadow economy in Ukraine shows that this is a serious challenge, which, first of all, should be dealt with by law enforcement agencies.

The shadow sector includes “gray” grain exports. Earlier, the Office of the Prosecutor General noted that the majority of grain is exported from Ukraine illegally. This leads to the fact that foreign currency earnings are not returned to the country, taxes are not paid, and the budget loses billions.

One of the widespread schemes of “gray” grain export is the use of fictitious companies registered to front persons. Such companies are set up to sell grain purchased for cash from farmers, mostly at an undervalued price. And after the grain leaves Ukraine, it is resold several times and legally reaches the final consumer - a non-resident of Ukraine.

The agricultural holding GNT Group of Odessa businessmen Serhiy Groza and Volodymyr Naumenko became a vivid example of how “gray” grain is exported from Ukraine. The Economic Security Bureau is investigating several criminal proceedings for tax evasion and participation in “gray” grain and oilseed export schemes by companies controlled by them.

They also used a scheme to sell grain through one-day firms.

According to Pendzin, in the situation with the companies of Odessa businessmen it is necessary to understand the reason why the investigation of cases and bringing the guilty to justice is delayed.

“You and I realize that if stars are being lit, someone needs it,” he noted.

Recall

Earlier UNN reported that in January 2021 law enforcers were interested in a number of companies involved in grain exports and associated with GNT Group Odessa businessmen Sergei Groza and Vladimir Naumenko. LLC “Ferko”, LLC “Metalsukrane Corp LTD”, LLC “Grain Reloading Complex ‘Inzernoexport’ and enterprise ‘Vtormetexport’, belonging to GNT Group, actively used the details of ‘risky’ companies for export operations. In the course of the investigation, the territorial department of the BEB in the Odessa region identified at least three such “risky” enterprises: AUTSTAFF 19 LLC, ALISENTA TRADE LLC, and SOLTEK PRODUCT LLC. In addition, the investigation found that the exported grain was stored, among other things, in the warehouses of Olympex Coupe International LLC - which is also controlled by Groza and Naumenko.

Based on the results of the investigation, law enforcers found that none of the mentioned “risky” enterprises had no proof of purchase of grains that were planned to be exported - more than 2 thousand tons of corn, barley, wheat (this is only what was found by law enforcers during the searches). In addition, all these enterprises violated the requirements of financial and tax reporting, demonstrated zero profitability, and understated profit tax.

According to law enforcers' calculations, Groza and Naumenko's companies caused almost UAH 37.5m damage to the state within the framework of this criminal case alone. At the same time, the exporter of “gray” grain was Agiros LLC, which belongs to a well-known smuggler Vadim Alperin, against whom the SNBO imposed sanctions in 2021 and who was deprived of Ukrainian citizenship. And shipped these grains, according to media reports, another company controlled by Groza and Naumenko, “Attollo Granum.” 

This criminal proceeding is currently still under investigation.

Another criminal proceedinginvolving Groza and Naumenko's company, Olympex Coupe International LLC, is being investigated by the territorial department of the Kyiv City BEB. It was opened a year later, in 2022, but 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 of crime and illegal handling of weapons or ammunition.

The scheme used by Groza and Naumenko's company is identical to the one used earlier, only the names of the fictitious companies differ, and not all of them. In particular, it includes AUTSTAFF 19 LLC mentioned in another criminal proceeding. 

In addition to this company, they also used the “risky” companies EXPRESS ALL and AGROTRANS-GROUP. With their help, according to the investigation, at least 40,000 tons of grain and oilseeds disappeared from the terminal in 2023.