The SSU Cyber Security Department exposed offenders who tried to withdraw over UAH 240 mln (USD 5,8 mln) from the budget by interfering in the electronic systems of the State Tax Service of Ukraine.

The investigation established that several serving officials of the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Dnipropetrovsk region were involved in this illegal activity.

The group established a mechanism for illegal appropriation of assets of Ukrainian companies and their subsequent transfer to controlled companies in the form of a VAT registration limit.

To implement the scheme, the fraudsters used forged documents to obtain electronic signatures of heads of enterprises from the temporarily occupied districts of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kharkiv regions and carried out unauthorized interference in the electronic systems of the State Tax Service.

Thus, they illegally received the ‘tools’ for unjustified transfer of the amounts of VAT registration limits to the balance sheet of controlled companies.

The ‘businessmen’ tried to divert the appropriated funds to shadow economy, including by conducting non-commodity transactions.

For this, the officials involved representatives of affiliated commercial entities from Kyiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Lviv, Odesa and Cherkasy regions.

However, due to the SSU’s intervention, it was possible to shut down the scheme and stop unlawful activity.

During the searches, the law enforcement found:

• computer equipment;
• mobile phones;
• accounting records;
• electronic data carriers with evidence of crime;
• seals of companies involved;
• cash derived from criminal activity – USD 80,000.

The investigators will notify the fraudsters of suspicion.

The pre-trial investigation was carried out by the SSU Cyber Security  ​​Department together with the National Police under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office and with the assistance of the Department for Prevention and Detection of Corruption of the State Tax Service.