31.10.2024 Investigations

Hetmantsev and the protection of the illegal tobacco market

October 31 is the last day of the license for the production of tobacco products by Vynnyky Tobacco Factory.

Why is this the final chord of the story?

In July, the tax authorities refused to extend the license to the factory, which means it will no longer be able to produce cigarettes. Legally and officially.

The reason for the refusal to issue the license was the failure to comply with the requirements of the legislation on certification of tobacco production, as well as the lack of permits from the sanitary and epidemiological service and state fire supervision authorities for the production of tobacco products at the enterprise.

Hryhoriy Kozlovsky, as the main beneficiary, is unlikely to be able to stand by and watch the production cease. Therefore, he is likely to initiate court proceedings, which, of course, will make the decision necessary for the factory.

The process has already been launched – the first was the decision of the Lviv District Administrative Court, which prohibited the tax authorities from issuing a license for the production of cigarettes to Vynnyky factory. Interesting, isn’t it? The Lviv court prohibits the Tax Service from acting according to the law.

Given the circumstances of the case, Judge Natalia Sydor of the Lviv District Administrative Court found the order of the State Tax Service to refuse to issue the license unlawful and canceled it. The court ordered the STS to issue a license to Vynnykivska Tobacco Factory LLC for the production of tobacco products upon the submitted application. The Tax Service is currently appealing this decision in the Court of Appeal.

Background

According to the monitoring, 52% of cigarettes with Duty Free labeling that are illegally sold in Ukraine are manufactured at Vynnykivska Tobacco Factory. Compliment and Lifa brands account for 51% of illegal products.

The June raid at Izov station was a turning point for Vynnyky Tobacco Factory: customs officers found thousands of packs of Marshal and Compliment cigarettes hidden in ore cars on their way to Poland – all without excise tax stamps. In May, searches by the Bureau of Economic Security revealed that the factory also produced counterfeit cigarettes with fake excise stamps. Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s tax committee, confirmed that illegal production had been stopped and a number of factories had lost their licenses.

At the same time, it is Hetmantsev who is behind the promotion of smuggling interests in the tax service and the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada. Therefore, all of his statements are nothing more than a blur and a pretense of struggle.

Who is behind the factory?

Several related companies operate on the territory of the Lviv Tobacco Factory in Vynnyky. After Hryhoriy Kozlovsky left the company in 2023, management was taken over by his daughter Sofia Maksymets, who owns the production facilities. “Vynnykivska Tobacco Factory and Marvel International Tobacco Group sell their products through Marvel Trading House LLC, owned by Oleksiy Riznyk, a member of the Lviv City Council and business partner of Hryhoriy Kozlovsky.

Thus, Kozlovsky’s formal non-membership in the factory’s management team is just an eyewash to whitewash the reputation of a businessman who owns a number of facilities such as Emily Resort, 36Po, and Grand Hotel.

According to our materials, the TU BES in Lviv region registered the information in the URPI under No. 62024140110001140 on the grounds of criminal offenses under Part 1 of Article 204, Part 2 of Article 204, Part 3 of Article 209, Part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and the Lviv Police – under No. 12024141360002574 (Article 364, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

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