The tax police officers who searched the office of Vesti Mass Media LLC, part of Multimedia Invest Group holding (both based in Kyiv) found UAH 1.5 million in the safe of the holding's owner, the publisher of the Vesti newspaper, Ihor Huzhva.

"Our actions are legitimate. We performed a search. According to preliminary data, UAH 1.5 million was found directly in Huzhva's room. Some UAH 313,000 on his personal accounts were seized, UAH 97,000 - on the accounts of Vesti Mass Media," Deputy Income and Tax Minister Volodymyr Khomenko, responsible for financial investigations, said at a briefing in Kyiv.

As reported, the financial investigation unit of the ministry is investigating the involvement of Vesti Mass Media in illegal conversion activity. According to the ministry, the investigation, in particular, found out that a number of companies, including Torggazstrim Ltd (Simferopol), were transferred UAH 93.6 million to the address of a Sumy private enterprise, which has been standing idle for a long time.

"Later these funds were transferred to Vesti Mass Media," the ministry reported, confirming they had carried out an authorized search at Vesti Mass Media on Thursday morning.

According to Khomenko, when investigating the shadow schemes of banks, the tax police officers found that Torggazstrim Ltd. was related to businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, who was close to the family of ex-President Viktor Yanukovych.