The claims by Belarusian security forces against Zrobim architects are related to tax evasion. This was reported by the state TV channel STV. As previously reported, searches and detentions were recently carried out at the architectural bureau.
According to the TV report, the Financial Investigations Department of the State Control Committee became interested in the company partly because of its “suspiciously low” declared income and employee salaries, despite positioning itself as a premium-class bureau carrying out projects around the world.
“A set of оперативно-разыскных мероприятий established that a significant part of the revenue received from services was not reflected in the company’s accounting records. To avoid leaving traces, company officials personally arranged with clients for payments to be made both in cash and using cryptocurrency. At the same time, wallets were created by the defendants on exchanges that are not officially registered in the Republic of Belarus”, an anonymous Financial Investigations Department officer said in the report.
The report also states that a significant part of employees’ earnings was allegedly paid outside official accounting records and that a separate office had been rented for this purpose. The report included testimony from several unnamed employees. The authors claim that at least 60% of salaries were allegedly paid “in envelopes.”
It is claimed that one of the bureau’s founders is abroad. Funds were allegedly invested in real estate in Belarus, Poland, Thailand, and the United States. The second co-founder, Andrei Makouski, is under investigation and is giving confessional testimony.
“My name is Andrei Makouski, I am a Belarusian architect and founder of an architectural bureau. I would probably like to warn entrepreneurs against such actions. Because I sincerely understand that in pursuit of earnings, people want to maintain and increase their income level. But you never think about the other side of the issue. Taxes here are actually not that high compared even to European countries. They simply have to be paid”, Makouski said in the report.
The report also states that more than $6 million was not reflected in the bureau’s accounts. The damage to the state budget is estimated at more than 5 million rubles.
Dzmitry Dzyahileu, head of a department of the Financial Investigations Department for Minsk and Minsk Region, also said in the report that lists have been compiled of companies providing design services that show signs of underpaying taxes. These companies are expected to be investigated in the near future.
Updated
A similar report was also shown on ONT, although Makouski’s remarks were edited differently there.
“There were not entirely envelope salaries. We had a certain bonus component that was additionally paid to employees, and taxes were not paid on it. I fully repent and admit my guilt in this. Also, some contract amounts were not fully reflected in the documents, and taxes were not paid on them either. I sincerely understand that in pursuit of earnings, people want to maintain and increase their income level. But you never think about the other side of the issue. We immediately cooperated with the investigation. I confessed right away and wrote a statement of voluntary surrender because I understood that it was wrong”, he said.
