Ukraine’s Tax Service refuses to check up Poroshenko’s offshore companies

The State Fiscal Service of Ukraine has learned about President Petro Poroshenko’s offshore companies from mass media, First Deputy Chief of the Service Serhiy Bilan said on Apr 7.

“This is beyond our competence. This is not a crime as it is,” Bilan said at a press conference in Kiev.

He said that his service is authorized to investigate into violations stipulated by article 209 and article 212 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code (money laundering and tax dodging). “But this is not the case,” Bilan said.

As EADaily reported earlier, on Apr 3 OCCRP, ICIJ and some foreign mass media published an article about offshore companies used by political leaders, celebrities and sportsmen. ICIJ mentioned Ukraine’s President Petro Poroshenko, who set up an offshore company in 2014. On Apr 5 Chief of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Roman Nasirov said that the service was going to check up on the news.