At the center of a large-scale criminal case are officials of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine, high-ranking officials and Belarusian businessman Mykola Vorobey, the actual owner of the UPG gas station network. Case No. 72024142500000017 is being investigated by the Territorial Department of the Bureau of Economic Security in Lviv region. It concerns a systemic scheme of tax evasion, seizure of assets and legalization of criminal funds.
According to the investigation, Mykola Vorobey, using the private enterprise "UKRPALETSYSTEM" (EDRPOU code 32285225) controlled by him, created an organized criminal group together with the Chairman of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine Pavlo Kyrylenko and his first deputy Oleksandr Muzychenko. They are suspected of having facilitated the illegal acquisition of control over the assets of the Privat Group and of evading taxes, acting in the interests of the aggressor state.
The key element of this scheme is the permits for the concentration of business entities, which were granted by the Antimonopoly Committee. It was these permits that legalized the process of seizing assets and created the appearance of legality of the operations. However, as investigators claim, the decisions of the Antimonopoly Committee violated the norms of national legislation and indicate a direct collusion of officials with business structures close to Belarusian capital.
The scheme, according to the investigation, had a clearly structured hierarchy and mechanisms. The controlled companies were used for fictitious activities, falsification of data about owners, financial flows and the real origin of funds. There was also a question of "kickbacks" for assistance in decision-making and large-scale legalization of illegal income.
The investigation is currently ongoing, examining the full chain of companies and individuals involved in the scheme. Particular attention is being paid to examining financial flows, asset transfer mechanisms and funding sources, as well as connections between government officials and foreign business entities.
This case could become one of the most high-profile economic crimes in the history of Ukraine. But whether the investigation will lead to convictions - only time and political will will tell.
