One of the largest chemical companies in Ukraine refunded UAH 43 million of unpaid taxes
Photo: Ostchem

One of the largest chemical companies in Ukraine has refunded UAH 43 million of unpaid income tax. About reported Bureau of Economic Security.

From the court register known that the BES was investigating criminal proceedings regarding tax evasion of Cherkasy-based Azot PrJSC (ultimate beneficiary – Dmitry Firtash).

The investigation found that from September 2013 to the end of 2014, when exporting products to a Swiss company, the cost of goods was artificially low, and when importing natural gas from a Cypriot company, on the contrary, it was overstated.

Thus, the company failed to declare and pay over UAH 43 million in income tax. This is confirmed by the tax audit and the conclusion of the forensic economic examination.

The chief accountant was served a notice of suspicion of tax evasion and forgery (Article 212(3), Article 28(2) and Article 366(1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

"During the pre-trial investigation, the material damage caused to the state as a result of non-payment of UAH 43 million in taxes was reimbursed in full, including penalties," the BES said.

UPDATED July 30. Group DF lawyer Anna Chishynska clarified in a comment to LIGA.net that all tax liabilities, including accrued penalties, were fully repaid by Azot between 2020 and 2022.

"The BEB began investigating this case only in the second half of 2024, after the specified amounts had already been paid. Why this topic has reappeared in the public sphere after such a long time remains a mystery. We consider this to be an attempt to manipulate information that is no longer relevant," said the lawyer.

The lawyer clarified that the case was not about tax evasion, but about different interpretations of the transfer pricing law by the regulatory authorities and the taxpayer, since at that time there was no established practice of applying legislation in this area, which only began to emerge in 2019.