A criminal case has been opened against two brothers from Minsk on charges of large-scale tax evasion. They devised a scheme involving a foreign company to sell lumber, the Investigative Committee reports.
According to investigators, one of the defendants acquired a foreign company in July 2023. At the end of 2023, it was registered for tax purposes in Belarus as a foreign legal entity without the right to conduct business activities.
The brothers used the details and bank accounts of the foreign company to sell lumber purchased in Belarus abroad on its behalf. At the same time, both the Belarusian and foreign companies were managed by the same people. The foreign company’s accounting was handled by employees of the Belarusian company, who were unaware of the illegal scheme.
The use of the foreign company made it possible to conceal the actual volume of profits. The total amount of unpaid corporate income tax is estimated at more than 3 million Belarusian rubles.
During the investigation, the 31-year-old brothers admitted their guilt and fully compensated for the damage. Property worth more than 6.8 million Belarusian rubles was seized. They were placed under a personal guarantee as a preventive measure. The case has been transferred to a prosecutor to be sent to court.