The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has uncovered a large-scale criminal organization that was robbing agricultural companies across Ukraine. The group included more than 15 people, including those with previous convictions, and the scheme was led by a resident of Dnipro.
The investigation showed that the fraudsters acted according to a well-established algorithm:
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through corrupt connections in the State Tax Service, they received official information about agricultural enterprises;
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created fake documents and opened fictitious bank accounts in the names of real companies;
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they posed as employees of well-known grain elevators or traders, offering producers "profitable" contracts at inflated prices;
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The funds received were transferred to shell accounts and cash was withdrawn, mostly under the guise of "salaries."
In this way, the group seized money from at least four agricultural enterprises worth over UAH 70 million. The criminals tried to appropriate another UAH 52 million, but did not manage to do so.
A separate investigation concerns three employees of the Eastern Interregional Department of the State Tax Service. They illegally copied data from more than 220 enterprises and passed it on to members of a criminal organization. This information became the basis for fraudulent schemes.
The actions of the group members are qualified under several articles of the Criminal Code:
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Article 255 – creation and management of a criminal organization,
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Article 190 – fraud,
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Article 209 – legalization of proceeds from crime,
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Article 200 – illegal transactions with bank accounts and documents,
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Article 358 – forgery of documents.
The maximum penalty is up to 12 years in prison with confiscation of property.
The investigation into the tax officials is being conducted under Part 3 of Article 362 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – unauthorized copying of data from automated systems.
The Office of the Prosecutor General provided procedural guidance in the case.
