Ukrtatnafta transfers to Ukrainian budget over 500 mln hryvni in taxes underpaid by ex-management - SBU

MOSCOW. Feb 10 (Interfax) - Following the exposure of corruption schemes, PJSC Ukrtatnafta promptly transferred more than 500 million hryvni in taxes underpaid by the company's former management to the Ukrainian budget, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said.

"Thanks to the investigation conducted by the SBU and the Economic Security Bureau into the corruption schemes of the former management of PJSC Ukrnafta and PJSC Ukrtatnafta, the state budget of Ukraine received 531 million hryvni. This amount was transferred by the current management of PJSC Ukrtatnafta after being notified by law enforcement agencies," Ukrainian media outlets said, citing information circulated by the SBU on social media on Thursday.

According to the investigation materials, the company's former management sold petrol through a network of filling stations without paying the excise tax, but including it in the price for customers, SBU said.

"Thus, the company's debt to the state in this episode alone stands at over 605 million hryvni. The chief accountant and the former director of the joint-stock company have been notified that they are suspects in this case," it said.

According to SBU, in order to secure compensation for the damage caused to Ukraine, law enforcers forwarded the relevant information to the company's current top managers, after which Ukrtatnafta representatives quickly transferred 531 million hryvni to the Ukrainian budget in several installments.

Officers of SBU and the Economic Security Bureau earlier exposed large-scale arrangements by the former owners and the former top management of Ukrnafta and Ukrtatnafta to misappropriate 40 billion hryvni.

An investigation is continuing to establish all circumstances of their unlawful activities and to bring those guilty to justice.