The Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa has closed criminal proceedings regarding large-scale tax evasion against Yevhenii Shvets, the director of «STILLI» LLC. The executive escaped criminal liability and a conviction record by fully compensating the damages caused to the state budget before an official notice of suspicion was delivered.
According to court records, the scheme unfolded throughout 2022. The Odesa-based company «STILLI» LLC, whose primary business activity is the wholesale trade of clothing and footwear, received a massive batch of goods free of charge—129.6 thousand pairs of sneakers. The total market value of the received property reached ₴48.3 million.
The head of the company, Yevhenii Shvets, deliberately failed to report this amount in Line 01 of the corporate income tax return. As a result, the 18% tax due on the value of the goods was never transferred to the Ukrainian state budget, causing direct losses exceeding ₴8.7 million. Investigators established that the director acted unilaterally, withholding these financial manipulations from the company’s other shareholders.
During the court hearing, the defense requested the application of Part 4, Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This provision allows a first-time tax evasion offender to be released from criminal responsibility if they fully pay the tax obligations, penalties, and financial sanctions prior to being officially notified of suspicion.
«Receipts confirming the full payment of the accrued debt were dated November–December 2024, preceding the official notice of suspicion. In May 2025, the State Tax Service of Ukraine officially confirmed that ‘STILLI’ LLC had no outstanding debts or accrued penalties,» the court ruling states.
The prosecutor supported the motion in court. Yevhenii Shvets admitted fault and acknowledged that the case was being dismissed on non-rehabilitating grounds.
«STILLI» LLC (EDRPOU code 44601800) was registered on December 30, 2021, in central Odesa at 1 Hretska Square. In November 2022, Kyiv resident Yevhenii Anatoliiovych Shvets assumed the position of director with full signing authority.
Despite transactions involving tens of millions of hryvnias, the director’s background raises significant questions. Evidence indicates Shvets served as a proxy director («frontman»), having previously sought employment on casting websites for background actors. These details suggest that the actual organizers of the tax scheme may have used a hired surrogate to shield the true beneficiaries of the operation.