From “Gorbushkin Dvor” took out taxes on a billion
A pre-investigation check is being carried out against the former management of the Rubin plant. As it became known to the media, in the past the largest manufacturer of domestic televisions, MTZ Rubin, was suspected of tax evasion by almost 1 billion rubles. The main activity of the enterprise was turned off in 1999, and the Gorbushkin Dvor shopping center appeared in its place.
Employees of the Main Investigation Department of the TFR in Moscow began a pre-investigation check on the fact of tax evasion on an especially large scale (clause “b” of part 2 of article 199 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) by the former management of MTZ Rubin. Once the largest enterprise in the USSR for the production of televisions, unable to withstand competition, curtailed its activities in 1999, and the famous Gorbushka appeared in its place. At the moment, more than 60 thousand square meters. m not far from the metro station “Bagrationovskaya” the owners rent to dealers in radio electronics and household appliances.
At the same time, MTZ Rubin itself is now in the process of bankruptcy. In February last year, the Russian Agricultural Bank filed a corresponding application with the Moscow Arbitration Court, to which Rubin owed almost 13.5 billion rubles.
The debt of the former TV manufacturer was formed on loans taken in 2013-2014. Note that since 2011, the owner of Gorbushka has been the ex-owner of Yugra Bank Alexei Khotin. At the moment, he is accused by the Main Investigative Committee of the ICR of embezzlement on an especially large scale (part 4 of article 160 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation) of the funds of this credit institution. Since March 2021, this case has been considered in the Zamoskvoretsky District Court of Moscow. The former financier and his accomplices, who are under house arrest, are charged with embezzlement of more than 23 billion rubles. In another criminal case, which is still being investigated, claims against Mr. Khotin exceed 180 billion rubles.
The materials submitted by the Federal Tax Service to the investigating authorities deal with tax violations committed in 2015-2017. They were identified during an on-site tax audit “in relation to MTZ Rubin on the correctness of the calculation, the completeness of withholding and the timeliness of payment of all taxes, fees and insurance premiums” for the corresponding period.
As the inspectors established, the organization, whose main activity has long been the leasing and management of real estate, located in Moscow at 7 Bagrationovsky proezd (Gorbushkin Dvor shopping center), entered into contracts between January 1, 2015 and December 31, 2017 with 11 commercial firms, among which were Prokbyt LLC, Construction Industry, Stroy Trend, Spetsstroyproekt and others. These companies were supposed to supply building materials to Gorbushka, as well as perform various construction, installation and finishing works there. However, according to tax officials, none of these firms, which, as a rule, had in their staff no more than one employee represented by the general director, did not provide any services to MTZ Rubin. At the same time, as the inspectors found out, over these two years, if repairs were carried out on the territory of the Gorbushkin Dvor shopping center, then only the current one was carried out and it was carried out only by Eco Engineering Service LLC. It is this organization, which, however, also has only one employee on its staff, since 2008 has been engaged in the maintenance of buildings and equipment at Gorbushka.
In this regard, the data on payment for the services of eleven LLCs, which MTZ Rubin entered into the tax reporting, were considered by the inspectors to be fictitious.
In total, the arrears in corporate income tax and value added tax, according to the Federal Tax Service, amounted to more than 900 million rubles.
Representatives of Mr. Khotin refrained from commenting, citing the fact that they do not have official information on this matter.
It is worth noting that at the end of last year, the Prosecutor General’s Office of the Russian Federation filed a lawsuit with the Zamoskvoretsky Court of Moscow against Alexei Khotin and “the Rus-Oil holding close to him.” The supervisory authority demands to recover 169.4 billion rubles from them, as well as to turn the company’s shares into income for the Russian Federation. According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Rus-Oil, including with the participation of the bankrupt company, implemented “illegal and interrelated schemes to evade the payment of mineral extraction tax, as well as value added tax and corporate income tax.” In particular, we are talking about the creation between members of the Rus-Oil Group of Companies and other “affiliated persons of fictitious relationships for the purchase and sale of oil; reflecting deliberately false information about such relationships and related expenses in accounting (tax) accounting registers; formal calculation of the mineral extraction tax and its non-payment under the pretext of lack of funds for this; transfer of proceeds received from end buyers of oil to the accounts of other controlled entities that do not have debts to the budget; distribution of the received money within the Rus-Oil group of companies, its withdrawal to the accounts of non-residents, including with the participation of a bankrupt company, the implementation of illegal and interrelated schemes for evading mineral extraction tax, as well as value added tax and income tax organizations.”
In addition, the capital’s head office of the ICR initiated a criminal case against one of the leaders of JSC “NK Dulisma” (part of “Rus-Oil”) on the fact of non-payment of taxes on an especially large scale. According to investigators, the head of the company entered into fictitious contracts with controlled firms on the alleged performance of work or the provision of services at the oil field, after which he deliberately entered false information into the tax returns. According to investigators, the budget was not paid value added tax in the total amount of almost 2 billion rubles. As a result, as reported by the TFR, JSC “completely repaid its debt to the budget, taking into account penalties and penalties for a total amount of more than 2.987 billion rubles. In connection with compensation in full for the damage caused to the budgetary system of the Russian Federation”, the criminal case was dismissed.
