Entrepreneurs in the port of Odesa declared financial losses due to blocking of activities

The Kyiv District Court of Odesa has issued a ruling to conduct searches of companies operating in the port of Odesa. This decision has blocked the activities of dozens of companies, and they have been unable to operate since December 19, 2024.

This was reported by the Gordon publication, citing a statement made by company representatives at a press conference at the Interfax-Ukraine agency. It is noted that the court ruling is valid until February 3, 2025.

According to the newspaper, the companies' representatives believe that the detectives of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) are actually seizing property, but are only authorized to conduct searches. Entrepreneurs claim that in personal conversations, law enforcement officers warned them in advance of an agreed decision to block the work of their companies.

During a press conference, they stated that a number of businesses are suffering financial losses and plan to sue law enforcement agencies. Entrepreneurs suspected that the blocking of the companies' work was related to pressure on the GNT Group agricultural holding due to its conflict with the creditor Argentem Creek Partners.

The Gordonua website, citing statements by participants in the press conference, notes that Sunolta, which owns Attollo Granum LLC, has no relation to GNT Group or the conflict, but became the target of a media attack after officially applying to the АСР with a proposal to buy out the debt in order to continue its business activities.

Entrepreneurs claim that Argentem Creek Partners' actions are aimed at satisfying the interests of an unnamed third party interested in controlling the Odesa port and, in particular, obtaining assets such as GNT Group and Sunolta.

Speaking at a press conference, representatives of the companies said that there is no other way to explain the fund's actions. They emphasize that Sunolta has repeatedly stated and is now declaring its readiness for negotiations, but is not ready to take all financial losses due to the war on itself - then the business will simply be destroyed, and more than 1,000 employees will lose their jobs.

The newspaper writes that Sunolta is now planning to go to court and to a number of media outlets to stop the black PR campaign initiated by ACP.

Representatives of the companies stated that due to the blocking of their work in the port of Odesa, the losses of each company reach UAH 750 thousand per day. Such losses directly affect the companies' ability to pay taxes to the budget and salaries to employees, the speakers emphasized.

"They added that the BES detectives are not conducting any investigative or search activities. The heads of the companies said they had filed complaints with the President's Office, the Prosecutor General's Office, the BES of Ukraine, the State Bureau of Investigation of Ukraine, and the Council for Support of Entrepreneurship of Ukraine," the publication writes.