The National Police have uncovered an illegal scheme by which a Ukrainian businessman and his accomplices helped a Russian entrepreneur avoid sanctions from the National Security and Defense Council.
We are talking about enterprises that extracted and processed minerals in the Kyiv and Zhytomyr regions. The total value of these assets is about UAH 1 billion. The special operation was named Granit.
This was reported by the press service of the National Police of Ukraine.
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Ukrainian businessman helped Russian bypass sanctions
After the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, one of the Russian businessmen who owned assets in Ukraine transferred corporate rights to a trusted person with a foreign passport.
“Such manipulations allowed him to avoid a direct blow from sanctions, although actual control over production remained in his hands,” the police reported.
After the introduction of sanctions by the National Security and Defense Council and the suspension of special permits for the use of subsoil, assets began to be re-registered to fictitious persons through a number of fictitious companies. As a result, a Ukrainian businessman gained control over them, which became a cover for the sanctioned business.
To make things look legal, the parties signed a so-called memorandum on the transfer of some rights to the companies in September 2023. On paper, it looked like a partnership, but in reality, it was a way to maintain Russian control over Ukrainian resources.
— In parallel, a clear organizational structure was built. It included directors of commercial enterprises, lawyers and other involved persons. Accomplices provided legal support, were responsible for the creation and acquisition of shell companies, appointed controlled persons to key positions and monitored financial flows and document flow, — the National Police reported.
The parties communicated via special devices that were not recorded by mobile operators. The main decisions were made in the Kiev office of the Ukrainian businessman – it was there, according to the police, that all steps were agreed upon, contracts were signed and the entire scheme was managed.
Law enforcement officers spent eight months collecting evidence. As a result, they managed to seize the assets of the subsoil-extracting enterprises of the sanctioned group of companies – this is more than 130 units of special equipment, land plots, real estate and permits for the use of subsoil. Everything was transferred to the management of ARMA.
Nineteen people were declared suspects. Among them are two businessmen (Ukrainian and Russian), heads of enterprises, accountants, and notaries.
The Ukrainian businessman was detained and taken into custody. Now they are deciding what measure of restraint to choose for the other participants in the case.
All defendants are suspected of the following crimes:
- Part 3 of Article 209 (Legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means, committed by an organized group of persons on an especially large scale);
- Part 3 of Article 362 (Unauthorized actions with information processed in automated systems, committed by a person who has the right to access it by prior agreement with a group of persons);
- Part 2 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 366 (Official forgery committed by a group of persons, resulting in grave consequences).
The defendants in the case face imprisonment for up to 12 years with confiscation of property.
