The FBI seized seven aircraft from a Cypriot company worth $40 million as part of a tax evasion investigation.

This is mentioned in a report from the Bureau of Economic Security (BEB).

The discussion revolves around three Boeing 737-800 aircraft, one Boeing 737-900, and three Embraer 190 planes, with an estimated total value of 40 million USD.

Previously, detectives uncovered a well-known airline involved in tax evasion. Its aircraft belong to a Cyprus-based company, which, according to BEB, is linked to two prominent Ukrainian oligarchs.

A pre-trial investigation is ongoing under part 3 of Article 212 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — “Evasion of payment of taxes, fees (mandatory payments).”

According to Economic Truth, the aircraft in question belong to the airline “International Airlines of Ukraine” (MAU), which has been associated with Igor Kolomoisky and Aron Maiberg.

What’s happening at MAU?

Since October 2022, the airline, in which oligarch Igor Kolomoisky became a shareholder in the 2010s, has completely stopped its flights due to internal misunderstandings. According to OpenDataBot, last year MAU's financial liabilities exceeded 16.2 billion UAH.

In recent months, the sale of the company's assets has been ongoing, as reported by Forbes. Specifically, at auctions held by the state enterprise SETAM, the airline's logo was sold for 3,300 USD, along with significant stakes in two valuable assets — the handling company “Interavia” sold for 38.9 million UAH and the maintenance company “MAUtechnics” for 195 UAH.

Moreover, sources from the publication who worked as top managers at the airline in recent years indicated that these assets are being sold below market value, which may suggest preparations for declaring MAU bankrupt by the end of 2023.