Employees of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB) exposed a large-scale international money laundering scheme. A group of criminals organized the transfer of funds into cash using a conversion center, the movement of cash between cities in Ukraine and the EU, as well as illegal currency exchange and the sale of cryptocurrency.
BEB detectives conducted searches of premises where illegal currency exchange activities were conducted. During the searches, cash in the amount of UAH 152 million was seized. According to the agency’s information, the main purpose of the center’s activities was to launder proceeds obtained through crime, convert funds in Ukraine and the countries of the European Union, hiding the mentioned operations from financial regulators.
“The scheme has been used by hundreds of individuals and large companies. This is confirmed by the documents that were seized during the searches of the VEB and draft records of individuals and legal entities of Ukraine and the countries of the European Union who used the scheme”, – reports the press service of the VEB.
It is reported that the criminal group was discovered thanks to the interaction and cooperation of VEB employees with experts from the European Union.
Currently, a pre-trial investigation is underway in criminal proceedings on the grounds of a criminal offense provided for in Part 2 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Evasion of payment of taxes, fees (mandatory payments)). This article provides for a fine of 10,000 to 15,000 of the non-taxable minimum income of citizens (from 13.42 million UAH to 20.13 million UAH as of the beginning of 2023)
The tax-free minimum income of citizens is usually 17 hryvnias. In addition to individual cases of administrative and criminal offenses and crimes. For such cases, the NMDH is not set at the amount of UAH 17, but at the level of a tax social benefit – 1/2 of the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons on January 1 of the current year. Accordingly, for the qualification of crimes or offenses, the tax-free minimum income of citizens in 2023 is UAH 1,342.00) with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a period of up to 3 years.
