The Bureau of Economic Security (BES) has ensured that the state budget receives more than UAH 13.4 million in taxes refunded by a Lviv-based holding company that includes 60 restaurants and retail outlets, the bureau’s press service reports.
According to the report, the investigation found that the holding’s employees received their salaries in two installments, one of which was paid through shadow registers. During the pre-trial investigation, the BES detectives conducted a series of searches, interrogated the company’s employees and collected the necessary evidence.
In addition, the Bureau initiated a tax audit to determine the correctness of the company’s tax and fee payments. As a result of the audit, an additional UAH 13.4 million in taxes and fees were accrued, the press release said.
“The company’s director pleaded guilty at the pre-trial investigation stage. The company has paid to the state budget the damages caused to the state in full. The person involved in the criminal case was served a notice of suspicion of committing criminal offenses under Part 2 of Article 212, Part 3 of Article 212-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” the Bureau said.
According to the BES, the case has been sent to court. The pre-trial investigation was conducted by detectives of the BES territorial office in Lviv region. Prosecutors of the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office are in charge of the proceedings.
As reported, on October 17, 2023, the BES announced the exposure of a large-scale tax evasion scheme in Lviv by a holding company that includes 60 restaurants and retail outlets. On the same day, Yuriy Nazaruk, co-owner of the !Fest holding, reported that the BES and the Security Service of Ukraine conducted searches at one of the holding’s sites in Lviv. According to him, the searches were related to the holding’s business activities, but there were no requests or appeals from law enforcement officers in connection with criminal cases.
The !Fest holding was founded in 2007. It develops a network of creative restaurants, cafes, shops and real estate in Ukraine. Its owners are Andriy Khudo, Yuriy Nazaruk, and Dmitry Gerasimov.
