The MP accused the "duty-free king" Granz of smuggling cigarettes from Belarus

The MP accused the "duty-free king" Granz of smuggling cigarettes from Belarus

In the Odesa region, law enforcement officers discovered a batch of smuggled cigarettes – 24 boxes with excise stamps from the Republic of Belarus. A well-known businessman, Artur Granz, whose name has repeatedly appeared in similar scandals, might be involved in smuggling them into Ukraine.

This was reported by a member of the parliament from "Servant of the People" Heorhiy Mazurashu. He appealed to the Secretary of the National Security and Defence Council of Ukraine Oleksiy Danylov, asking for a thorough examination of Artur Granz’s activities in Ukraine and his connections with Oleksandr Lukashenko.

The MP clarified that the case involves CREDO brand cigarettes. They are produced by the Grodno Tobacco Factory in Belarus, which was sanctioned by the EU in the summer for supporting the Lukashenko regime. The cigarettes were brought into Ukraine through the border in the Rivne region and were further distributed via mail.

"Some might say that such a prominent Ukrainian businessman, Artur Granz, is definitely not involved. He is already a monopoly in the duty-free shop sector in Ukraine," the MP noted.

He also pointed out that Granz owns duty-free shops in Belarus too. Furthermore, according to Mazurashu, the businessman may have a direct connection with the Grodno factory and might hold Belarusian citizenship.

Mazurashu recalled that Granz himself stated in a 2016 interview: "When Belarus became an independent state, I received a Belarusian citizen passport."

And in a 2019 interview, Granz said: "I have the largest Duty Free network in Belarus: more than 35 stores... There we have a partnership with the Presidential Affairs Department."

"That is to say, a person who owns the largest network of duty-free shops in Ukraine is simultaneously a business partner of Lukashenko and a citizen of Belarus," the MP emphasized.

Moreover, he suspected that local politicians in Ukraine are helping Granz. According to Mazurashu, one well-known MP lobbies for Granz’s interests.

"The one who felt like ’royalty’ under the ’predecessors’ (even called someone’s ’wallet’), and under our government team ’found his place’ and successfully ’solves issues,’ wrote Mazurashu. Andriy Ivanchuk (group "Dovira").

Granz has previously been at the center of scandals over duty-free operations in Ukraine. This included potential tax evasion through cigarette sales allegedly via duty-free but actually through illegal kiosks in Ukraine, potential alcohol smuggling, and underreporting of the value of leased premises.

These accusations were linked to the activities of the company "Duty Free Trading," owned by Granz. However, all these investigations ended inconclusively.

Granz also admitted that MP Ivanchuk is his friend, but claimed these are personal relationships, not business. However, business connections are evident. For example, in the company "BF Group" (duty-free in "Boryspil") the authorized person is Yuriy Hryshchenko, who was an assistant to Ivanchuk from 2012 to 2019.

The areas for Duty Free at Boryspil Airport are virtually monopolized by Granz-Ivanchuk companies. In 2014, three companies associated with the MP won a contract to lease the state property of Boryspil Airport. Subsequently, an agreement was signed to transfer the facilities for use for 10 years, although the competition terms provided only a 3-year term.