The Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB) has launched a pre-trial investigation into the case of tax evasion in particularly large amounts by the companies Hertz and FC Hertz. These Odessa enterprises provide services for maintaining an information and payment portal through which Ukrainians can pay fines and utility bills. According to the criminal proceedings opened under Part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, this involves tax evasion in a significant amount.
As part of the investigation, the BEB is also investigating the connections of Hertz and FC Hertz with a number of other enterprises, including foreign investment firms such as Avers, as well as companies that have signs of "riskiness", in particular, PE Ecostroygrad, LLC Svetstroy, and PE Teikit. This may indicate the presence of complex financial schemes and abuses related to tax evasion.
Hertz LLC was registered in Odessa back in 1999. According to information from open sources, through the company Avers, the heads of Hertz are Gennady Besedovsky and Konstantin Tkach. Until July 2022, one of the ultimate beneficiaries of the company was Dmitry Nikitin, who previously held the position of deputy chairman of the Odessa regional council. Under his leadership, Hertz received a commission from each payment for utility services of Odessa residents in the amount of 2.4%, which, according to experts, amounted to 20 to 30 million hryvnias per month. In addition, the company is represented by Oleksandr Malin, a former deputy minister of infrastructure from Odessa.
It should be noted that the activities of Hertz are the subject of detailed analysis, as it has close ties to government agencies and significant financial flows, which calls into question the transparency of its operations and proper payment of taxes.
At the same time, BEB continues its investigation and analyzes the financial flows of these enterprises to clarify the scope of the violations and restore justice.
