Tax Authorities Audit Narfronto's Tobacco Business – Response to Bihus.Info Lawyers

The Main Investigation Department of the State Fiscal Service in the Dnipropetrovsk region is investigating the purchase by officials of LLC United Tabako of counterfeit excise stamps for use in producing tobacco products.

This was stated in response to a request from lawyers of the project “Tysni” (Bihus.Info).

“The aforementioned statement has been attached to the materials of criminal proceeding №32018040000000059, entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations 26.06.2018 year for part 1 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for evasion of payment of tax by officials of LLC United Tabako in the amount of over 2 million UAH and part 1 of Article 199 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine for the fact of acquisition by company officials of LLC United Tabako from unidentified persons of counterfeit excise stamps with the purpose of use in manufacturing and sale of self-produced tobacco products,” the State Tax Service replied.

Recall that previously the fact of the company using counterfeit excise stamps was established by journalists of the program “Schemes” in the investigation “Tobacco Front.”

The tobacco factory “United Tabako,” which began operating in Zhovti Vody in Dnipropetrovsk region in 2017 year, produces cigarettes with counterfeit excise stamps. It is connected to the People’s Front party member of the Verkhovna Rada Oleh Kryshyn, and indirectly, through brothers Ruslan and Mykola Zhuryl, to the former member of parliament from this political force Mykola Martynenko.

And investigators from the project “Our Money with Denys Bihus” established that the ex-wife of judge Artur Yemelyanov, with whom he maintains a relationship, is investing money in this tobacco business.