SBU and NABU uncovered a conversion center with a turnover of 15 billion UAH
The Security Service of Ukraine and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau uncovered a powerful conversion center operating with the involvement of the former head of the State Tax Service and the former deputy head of the Main Directorate of the State Tax Service in Poltava region, reports ThePublic.info citing the Security Service of Ukraine.
According to the investigation, the person who held leadership positions in the State Tax Service of Ukraine at the time of the transactions, including acting head of the structure in 2021, facilitated the unhindered operation of the conversion center. Meanwhile, the former deputy head of the Main Directorate of the State Tax Service in Poltava region, who headed the commission on stopping the registration of tax invoices, ensured decisions were made in favor of "necessary" companies.
"From 2020 to 2023, the conversion center issued tax invoices with false data regarding the supply of goods and services totaling 15 billion UAH, and the fictitious value-added tax amounted to over 2.3 billion UAH," reports the SBU.
According to the investigation, the "scheme" involved the participants creating a conversion center and engaging over 200 controlled companies to manipulate tax payments.
The mechanism of the crime involved:
- the controlled companies creating false tax invoices regarding economic relations with real enterprises;
- registering invoices in the Unified Register of Tax Invoices;
- using the invoices by real enterprises to reduce their tax liabilities.
The head of the conversion center was detained while attempting to leave Ukraine.
The law enforcement agencies did not specify the name of the official in the statement, but according to a source from Ukrainska Pravda, it is about Yevhen Oleynikov, who served as acting head of the State Tax Service from May to November 2021.
Pre-trial investigation is ongoing. Currently, based on materials from the SBU and NABU, 11 participants of the "scheme" have been suspected.
