ESBU in Kyiv exposes a business takeover scheme worth nearly UAH 40 million

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in Kyiv have exposed an organized group that unlawfully deprived a co-founder of half of their business.

The investigation revealed that the company's director, who was also a co-owner, had conspired with accomplices to facilitate the forgery of documents related to the alleged voluntary withdrawal of another founder from the business.

In reality, no consent was given, the relevant documents were never signed, and financial disputes existed between the partners.

As a result of these unlawful actions, the business shares were re-registered in the name of the business partner, granting them full control over the company's operations. The total amount of damages incurred is nearly UAH 40 million.

Three participants in the scheme have been notified of suspicion under Part 3 of the Art. 206-2 (illegal seizure of enterprise property), Part 3 of Art. 28 (commission of a crime by an organized group), and Part 3 of Art. 358 (forgery of documents) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The pre-trial investigation has been completed. The indictment against all three suspects has been filed with the court.

To secure the criminal proceedings, the suspects' property was seized, as were funds totaling over UAH 30 million.

Operational support was provided by officers of the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine. Procedural guidance was ensured by the Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office.