NABU, SAPO, and the SBU exposed former acting head of Ukraine’s Tax Service Yevhen Oleinykov and Poltava tax deputy Nataliia Novozhenina for aiding a criminal organization.
The anti-corruption authorities, together with the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), exposed former acting head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, Yevhen Oleinykov, and deputy head of the Main Department of the State Tax Service in the Poltava region, Nataliia Novozhenina, for abusing their official positions in the interests of a criminal organization.
According to the investigation, members of the criminal organization established a conversion center and involved more than 200 controlled companies to implement a scheme aimed at minimizing tax payments.
The criminal mechanism involved:
- creating fake tax invoices by these companies;
- registering those invoices in the tax invoice register;
- using the invoices by real businesses to reduce their tax liabilities.
Between 2020 and 2023, these companies “supplied” goods and services worth a total of 15 billion UAH, while the “schematic” value-added tax amounted to over 2.3 billion UAH.
The investigation found that Oleinykov facilitated the smooth operation of the conversion center, while Novozhenina, who at that time chaired the commission on suspending the registration of tax invoices, ensured decisions were made in favor of the controlled companies.
As a result of the scheme, the state budget lost 147 million UAH. In total, 11 individuals have been notified of suspicion.
Earlier reports mentioned searches conducted, including at Novozhenina’s premises.
Incidentally, when Oleinykov headed the Tax Service, he gave interviews promising to fight against conversion centers.
Tags: corruption corruption in Ukraine investigation nabu news SAPO Ukraine
