Underground dollar «printing house»: ESBU case in Kyiv referred to the court

 Detectives of the Territorial Office of the Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine in Kyiv have completed a pre-trial investigation into a member of a group involved in the counterfeiting and sale of foreign currency. The indictment against one of the suspects has been sent to court.

The investigation established that the group organized the illegal production, storage, and sale of counterfeit USD 100 bills. To carry out the scheme, the organizer recruited two additional individuals.

The suspects rented a house in the Kyiv region, where they set up an underground production facility with specialized equipment for forging money. For secrecy, they used "straw men" (front persons), frequently changed vehicles and communication methods, and conducted financial transactions using third-party bank details.

Detectives conducted 7 authorized searches in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, targeting the production site, the suspects' residences, and their vehicles.

As a result, officials seized specialized equipment, components, paints, special paper, counterfeit banknotes resembling USD 100 and 500 UAH bills, three vehicles, computer hardware, and mobile phones.

Three individuals were detained in accordance with Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine while committing the crime. They were notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Article 199 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The indictment against one of them has been sent to court.

Operational support was provided by the Criminal Investigation Department of the National Police of Ukraine, with procedural guidance from prosecutors of the Specialized Defense Prosecution Office of the Central Region.

The pre-trial investigation regarding the other members of the criminal group is ongoing.

Note: According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court's verdict.