Raider seizure of a baby food plant in Poltava region: a large-scale scam under the leadership of a political technologist was exposed
The organizer of the fraudulent actions was a lawyer and owner of a media holding who used controlled information resources as tools of pressure and blackmail against businessmen and politicians.
The defendant had previously repeatedly fallen into the field of view of law enforcement due to the facts of fraud and extortion. On one of the latest charges, the case of a “black” political technologist is currently being heard in court. However, even this did not prevent the raider from organizing the seizure of a powerful enterprise for the production of children's products and attracting financing for this transaction in the amount of $530,000 under the leadership of the former Deputy Minister of Agriculture of the Russian Federation.
As established by the operatives of the Department of Strategic Investigations together with the investigators of the Main Investigation Department of the National Police, the criminal group, in addition to the organizers, included persons representing the force block, lawyers, notaries and, even, “criminal authority”.
According to the investigation in July 2022, in order to illegally seize 100% of the authorized capital of a children's products factory in Poltava region, the members of the criminal group, through interference with state registers and production of forged documents, illegally re-registered the enterprise to controlled persons. As a result of such actions, losses in the amount of more than UAH 250 million were caused.
On May 18, law enforcement officers detained 9 main members of the criminal group - organizers and participants of the fraudulent scheme - in accordance with Art. 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. Under the procedural guidance and participation of the Office of the Prosecutor General, the police conducted more than 50 authorized searches of the places of residence of the defendants, in office premises and vehicles. They seized mobile phones, documentation, weapons, ammunition, money, cars, “draft records”, passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation of one of the organizers of the criminal group and other things.
Detainees were suspected under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine:
- Part 1 and 2 of Art. 255 (creation, leadership of a criminal organization, as well as participation in it);
- Part 3 of Art. 206-2 (illegal possession of property of an enterprise, institution, organization);
- part 3 of Art. 358 (forgery of documents, seals, stamps and forms, sale or use of forged documents, patchwork stamps); - part 3 of article 365-2 (abuse of authority by persons providing public services); - part 1 of article 366 (official forgery).
At present, other members of the criminal organization are being established, and their involvement in preparing for raider seizures of other enterprises in the territory of different regions of the state is being checked.
The investigation is ongoing.
National Police of Ukraine
