TLDR
- A Lviv court ordered Oleksandr Markin to pay UAH 1.27 million in back taxes and penalties.
- His bank accounts received UAH 5.22 million in 2023 tied to alleged online casino payment activity.
- National Bank of Ukraine monitoring led to an unscheduled tax audit of the accounts.
- The defense said Markin, who has a disability, was exploited, but the court rejected that argument.
- The judge said any fraud claims must be handled through a separate criminal case, not the tax case.
A court in Lviv, Ukraine has ordered a man to pay more than UAH 1.27 million in unpaid taxes and penalties. The case involves bank accounts that tax officials say were connected to online casino payment activity.
The Lviv District Administrative Court issued the ruling after the man, Oleksandr Markin, tried to overturn tax assessments made against him. The court sided with the State Tax Service.
Judges ruled that money received in Markin’s accounts should count as taxable income. He had not declared it or filed a tax return for that year.
How the Case Started
The case began after the National Bank of Ukraine noticed unusual account activity. That monitoring led to an unscheduled tax audit.
Investigators found that Markin’s accounts received UAH 5.22 million from many different people during 2023. Tax officials say this money was never reported as income.
The audit resulted in extra charges. These included personal income tax, military duty payments, and financial penalties.
In total, the court ordered Markin to pay UAH 1,273,048.94. This includes UAH 1,175,148.25 in income tax and penalties, plus UAH 97,900.69 in military duty and related fines.
Tax officials believe the accounts were used as part of a payment scheme linked to online casinos. These setups are sometimes called drop accounts, where money passes through a person’s bank account on behalf of someone else.
Defense Argument Rejected
Markin’s lawyers asked the court to cancel the tax bill. They said he had a Group II disability since childhood and was later found to be partially incapacitated by a separate court.
The defense argued that other people may have used his accounts without his full understanding. They said a legal guardian was appointed to help protect him.
The court did not accept this argument. Judges pointed out that Markin was still considered legally competent during 2023, when the disputed transactions took place.
The ruling limiting his legal capacity did not start until November 2025. That was well after the money had already moved through his accounts.
The court also said that money placed into someone’s bank account is treated as taxable income unless proven otherwise. No evidence was given to show the funds should be exempt.
Judges made clear that this tax case is separate from any possible criminal wrongdoing. If other people misused the accounts, that would need to be looked at in a criminal court, not this tax dispute.
Judge N.I. Mrychko signed the ruling on July 6, 2026. The case is listed as No. 380/12355/25.
The decision allows the State Tax Service in the Lviv region to collect the unpaid tax debt from Markin.
