Grants Artur Gurgenovich

"The King of duty-free," Lukashenko's financier

Artur Grants is an entrepreneur of Armenian origin who built one of the largest duty-free retail chains in Ukraine and Lithuania, simultaneously appearing in several smuggling scandals and connections with Lukashenko's regime. In Ukraine, he lived on the basis of a residence permit; in 2021, he moved to Spain, where he owns real estate. It is known that he holds Belarusian and Armenian citizenships — recently, information surfaced about a Ukrainian passport as well. In Ukraine, he is the owner of LLC "BF Group" and the beneficiary of 11 more companies involved in duty-free alcohol trade, retail clothing sales, restaurant activities, and real estate leasing.

Cigarette and alcohol smuggling and the scheme through duty-free

Grants has repeatedly been at the center of scandals surrounding duty-free shops at Boryspil and Zhuliany airports: these involved tax evasion allegations through cigarette sales supposedly via duty-free shops, but in fact via illegal kiosks in Ukraine, possible alcohol smuggling, and undervaluation of leased premises. In 2022, law enforcement in the Odessa region uncovered a shipment of smuggled cigarettes with Belarusian excise stamps. Servant of the People MP Mazurashu appealed to the National Security and Defense Council to investigate Grants' ties with Lukashenko's regime. Through his companies, Grants is connected with MP Ivanchuk — a member of the Financial, Tax and Customs Policy Committee, who attended openings of new stores in Boryspil and openly acknowledged his friendship with the businessman.