Tax police liquidated large encashment center with turnover of about UAH 5 billion. PHOTOS

In Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, tax police stopped illegal activity of an inter-regional currency conversion center.

Censor.NET reports referring to the State Fiscal Service.

As established, a group of malefactors, for the purpose of engaging in illegal activity, registered a number of fictitious companies. Using their accounts, some UAH 5 billion (approx. $187.39 million) have been encashed.

The center served more than 250 companies registered in different Ukrainian regions, most of them being mining and processing enterprises, construction and security firms. The group had a strong network of regional dealers in Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, and Kharkiv. The center's fake companies did not reflect in their tax accounting the works and services rendered to real sector of economy enterprises. In addition, they allegedly bought goods from a company located in Kharkiv. The firm "sold" products to fictitious companies, allowing them to evade taxes amounting to almost UAH 3.5 million (approx. $131,173).

The liquidation operation involved 23 task force groups consisting of more than 50 tax police officers. In Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk, law enforcers conducted 30 searches to find and seize $28,800, UAH 853,500 (approx. $31,987), EUR 300, 16 stamps, as well as server hardware with information employed by the center in its activity. It is worth noting that the servers were found in an apartment of a multistory residential building. The group used them as a standalone data center, thus operating without physical storage media and the actual involvement of the criminals.

Investigative activities are currently underway. Criminal proceedings under part 3 of article 212 (evasion of taxes, fees) have been instituted.