The Office of the Prosecutor General closed the case regarding the network of “black” exchange points Fin Union without explanation. The network caused the state losses exceeding 25 million hryvnias. Despite the seizure of millions in foreign currency, weapons, and evidence of schemes involving “straw men” and fictitious VAT, the proceedings were dropped and the network continues to operate. Among those involved is Ivanna Presniakova, who previously served as director of the company “Finyunion” while simultaneously working as chief economist in the consumer rights protection department for financial services at the NBU. She is now actively erasing mentions of herself online.
We are publishing the material in full — to show exactly how high-profile cases are closed and who is trying to erase the traces.
Prosecutors of the Office of the Prosecutor General closed the high-profile case regarding the network of “black” exchange points Fin Union without explanation. The network caused the state losses exceeding 25 million hryvnias.
The case concerns criminal proceedings No. 12024000000002277 dated November 8, 2024. The investigation established that the Fin Union group, in collusion with yet unidentified managers of banking and financial institutions, as well as with representatives of tax and customs authorities, organized the registration of commercial entities using straw persons (“straw men”). These entities concealed import transactions and data on real suppliers in tax and accounting reports, substituted official documents on the origin of goods, and carried out the documentary registration, purchase, and sale of goods without any actual movement of assets. This was done to inflate the tax credit for “risky” resident companies, enabling them to evade taxes on a large scale and claim VAT refunds from the budget.
Ukraine has a company “Finyunion” (code 45293146), established in 2023. Its director is listed as Kateryna Veremiyenko, and its founder is Vladyslav Savchenko from Zaporizhzhya. The company’s authorized capital is 5 million hryvnias.
The company was previously headed by businesswoman Nataliya Savchenko, while Ivanna Presnyakova served as director. In 2024, she held the position of chief economist in the consumer rights protection department for financial services at the NBU. Vladyslav Savchenko also holds a stake in the Polish project Fin Union, which deals with currency and cryptocurrency exchange.
During searches, significant amounts of foreign currency were seized. For example, a safe at Raiffeisen Bank in Kyiv was found to contain 37,300 euros and a revolver with ammunition, while searches of Fin Union group offices in Odesa yielded 167,900 US dollars, 25,400 euros, and 9.6 million hryvnias.
After six months of investigation, the prosecutor’s office unexpectedly withdrew claims for asset seizure and later closed the case entirely.
The proceedings were handled by the 2nd Department of Procedural Guidance in Pre-Trial Investigations and Public Prosecution of the Department for Supervision over Compliance with Laws in Combating Organized Crime of the Department for Supervision over Compliance with Laws by the National Police of Ukraine and Bodies Combating Organized Crime of the Office of the Prosecutor General. However, no official explanation regarding this high-profile case has been provided. The network continues its illegal operations in Ukraine.
