At the request of the SBI, the court seized the property of a plant whose founder financially assisted the aggressor state bypassing sanctions (VIDEO)

23/01/2023

The State Bureau of Investigation is carrying out systematic work to identify the property of aggressor countries in Ukraine and transfer it to the state. In 2022, the SBI transferred property worth over UAH 9.1 billion to Asset Recovery and Management Agency, much of it owned by Russian companies.

The SBI agents exposed the founder of the Klishchynskyi Cannery in the Cherkasy region for aiding and abetting the aggressor state. Since 2014, he has been coordinating the activities of his own agricultural enterprises in the Ukrainian-controlled territory, as well as in the temporarily occupied Crimea and Russia.

Based on the SBI's materials, the Sosnivskyi District Court of Cherkasy seized the property of the perpetrator's Cherkasy factory. Preparations for the transfer of movable and immovable property to ARMA are underway, and work on confiscating the perpetrator's assets is continuing.

It was established that the Crimean businessman moved to Kiev after the annexation of the peninsula. He re-registered his companies in government-controlled and temporarily uncontrolled Ukrainian territory under Ukrainian and russian jurisdictions accordingly. This allowed the businessman to conduct business in the temporarily occupied territory while paying taxes and fees to the budgets of various levels of the aggressor state.

Using his Ukrainian registration, the businessman organised an illegal mechanism for the supply of agricultural products to the European Union. He allegedly exported Ukrainian goods to the Republic of Poland via russia and belarus. In this way, he circumvented EU sanctions banning the import of goods produced in Crimea.

The businessman involved his family members and management in the illegal activity, helping to run 11 companies in Ukraine, temporarily occupied crimea and moscow.

The SBI officers initiated the seizure of the collaborator's property:

  • 5 apartments with a total area of over 500 square metres;
  • 9 plots of land - more than 20 acres
  • 60 cars;
  • 53 units of residential and non-residential premises, including offices, warehouses, garages, etc., with a total area of more than 34 thousand square metres;
  • 11 companies and enterprises with authorised capital of almost 8 million UAH.

The criminal case was opened for an offence under Part 1 of Art. 111-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - aiding and abetting the aggressor state.

This article provides for imprisonment for up to 12 years.

The investigation is ongoing.

The Cherkasy Regional Prosecutor's Office is supervising the case.