The Ukrainian media empire owned by Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovy and his family has come under fire over financial scandals related to underpayments of salaries to its employees. In particular, PJSC "Lux Television and Radio Company", owned by Kateryna Kit-Sadova, the wife of the Lviv mayor, has been subject to serious violations in the areas of financial management and social responsibility.
For years, salaries for ordinary workers were paid in installments. One was official, the minimum was paid with mandatory payments, and the second was paid “in an envelope.”.
After the Bureau of Economic Security exposed the tax evasion scheme by the !FEST holding, which is linked to Andriy Sadovy, the number of employed employees at Sadovy's media holding sharply increased.
In 2021-2022, for example, 15-20 employees were accounted for) taking into account that TRK “Lux” owns the corporate rights of 12 companies. In January-October 2021, the remuneration in monetary terms to employees of the TV and Radio Company “Lux” (this includes 9-13 people, some of whom are journalists) was 6 thousand UAH, in November-December of the same year – 6.5 thousand UAH. In contrast, the salary of Kateryna Kit-Sadova was 195 thousand UAH, the salary of Roman Andreyko (director of PrJSC “Teleradiocompany “Lux”) was 100 thousand UAH, and that of his wife – Andreyko Oksana (shareholder with a large stake) – within 40-50 thousand UAH.
In the period January-September 2023, the official salary of employees (7-11 people) was paid in the amount of UAH 7 thousand. In October, it increased to UAH 16 thousand (6 employees received such payments), in November it amounted to UAH 12 to 16 thousand (47 people received such a salary), in December, 21 employees received UAH 15 thousand, and 17 employees received UAH 11 to 15 thousand.
It is currently unknown how much tax the Sadovoy media holding evaded. The Bureau of Economic Security must pay attention.
