Ukraine continues to put pressure on entrepreneurs. This time, the “Evening Star” LLC was “in the crosshairs,” reports [Kommersant] reports citing a statement received from the Manifesto 24 public movement.
The activists of the movement claim that Vechirnia Zirka LLC, the legal owner of the property, is facing illegal actions by investigators and the prosecutor’s office of the Holosiivskyi district. In particular, the criminal proceedings No. 12023100010002086 of 13.07.2023 have been going on for over a year, and during this time, the investigation has repeatedly conducted searches, interrogations, inspections and other investigative actions aimed not at an objective investigation, but at putting pressure on the company and its owners.
The members of the social movement were particularly concerned about the fact that pressure was being exerted on Ukrainian businessman Oleksandr Sokolovskyi, who has been engaged in manufacturing activities for over 30 years. His Textile-Contact Group (TC Group) is important for Ukraine’s defence capability and economy, as a number of its companies are of strategic importance. The 12 factories of the TC Group employ over 1500 people, and in 2023 alone, the companies paid UAH 442 million in taxes to the state budget, for which they were awarded by the relevant committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine as an industry leader in tax payments.
Despite such a contribution to the development of the country’s economy, the investigation and the prosecutor’s office continue to take systematic actions that impede the normal operation of Sokolovsky’s businesses. In particular, the actions of the management of Evening Star LLC aimed at formalising the existing legal relationship of land lease are being treated by the investigation as a crime. This is legally and economically unjustified, as the lease of the land plot is carried out on legal grounds, and the good faith payment of lease payments indicates that there is no damage to the state or the local community.
“We, the representatives of the Manifesto 42 public movement, are forced to demand immediate intervention in the situation with the gross violation of the law and illegal actions by law enforcement officers of the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv. For a long time, despite a number of important initiatives of the President of Ukraine, the National Security Council and the Prosecutor General’s Office, the facts of pressure on business have not been eradicated, but are gaining momentum,” say the representatives of Manifesto 42.
They add that it is particularly worrying that such actions are taking place under martial law, when the country’s economy is under enormous pressure due to the war. Businesses that continue to operate, pay taxes and support the state budget are actually providing the backbone of the country’s defence capability. In these difficult conditions, law enforcement agencies should protect entrepreneurs, not create additional obstacles to their activities. Unlawful actions against business, especially in times of war, undermine the economic stability of the state, which also threatens Ukraine’s defence capability.
Therefore, the Manifesto 42 civil movement demands that the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office and the Prosecutor General’s Office
- to intervene in the situation and stop the illegal actions of the prosecutors and police of the Holosiivskyi district;
- to conduct an objective internal investigation of the activities of the prosecutors responsible for this proceeding, in particular, O.A. Shapovalov, and to provide a principled assessment of their actions;
- ensure the observance of the rights of entrepreneurs, stop any attempts to put pressure on business and restore normal conditions for the economic activity of Vechirnia Zirka LLC.
“The Manifesto 42 public movement is taking this case under its control and guarantees that it will remain in the centre of our attention until a legal decision is made and all guilty officials are brought to justice in accordance with the current legislation,” the activists summed up.
“Manifesto 42 is a civic movement created to protect the right to entrepreneurship guaranteed by Article 42 of the Constitution of Ukraine.