Metinvest has also not been provided with any information regarding the grounds for the claim that there has been underpayment of taxes in the amount of UAH 18 billion. In 2021 alone, the Group paid UAH 52.7 billion in taxes and levies to the public budgets at all levels in Ukraine, which is 2.4 times more than in 2020.
However, despite these facts, searches were conducted at the Group's enterprises with significant legal violations. In particular, searches were carried out on the basis of a "defective" ruling of the Court, which did not specify the period of its validity in direct contradiction of the norms of the Criminal Procedural Code.
Searches were carried out, in part, at premises and addresses which were not specified in the court rulings. Law-enforcement agencies prevented the video recording of the investigative actions by the Group's lawyers. These actions by law enforcement agencies contradict the requirements of Ukrainian legislation and will be appealed in court.
The behaviour of law enforcement went beyond the framework of the law and likely indicates that the real purpose of the organised searches was not to find things or documents related to the investigation, but solely to intimidate and oppress business.