Detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security are investigating the fact of tax evasion of over UAH 1 billion by a well-known organizer of online casino gambling.
The investigation found that the company paid out UAH 4.5 billion in winnings to players, of which it failed to pay personal income tax and military duty totaling UAH 1.1 billion. These payments were not reflected as winnings, but as refunds of funds, i.e. deposits, to individuals that were allegedly not used in gambling.
According to the BES, the company’s employees, players, and contractors have already been questioned, and investigative actions have been taken, including searches and inquiries, and temporary access to belongings and documents has been obtained.
The accounts of the business, which was allowed to pay taxes and salaries from the accounts, were arrested. “At the time of the announcement of one of the rulings, the company’s officials transferred 100 million to the counterparty’s accounts, and these funds were subsequently arrested,” the BES reports.
“The pre-trial investigation is ongoing. The BES detectives continue to collect evidence that will be used both for forensic economic examination, which is intended to confirm the amount of damage caused to the budget of Ukraine, and to prove illegal activities,” the BES said in a statement.
According to the Interfax-Ukraine news agency , this refers to the Cosmolot online casino, whose co-owner Arnulf Damerau recently told the Financial Times that corrupt officials in Ukraine’s law enforcement agencies and the presidential administration are trying to extort tens of millions of euros from him.
Damerau denies the accusations and believes that the claims are fabricated. According to official tax returns, the company, which offers themed online games with small bets, paid 60 million euros in taxes last year.
As part of the criminal proceedings, the company’s bank accounts were seized, but according to the court ruling, it was allowed to make all necessary payments to the budget and pay salaries.