White-Collar Crime covers criminal proceedings of an economic nature where a business owner, director, CFO or top-manager appears as suspect or witness. Tax evasion, fraud, abuse of office, money laundering, smuggling, fictitious entrepreneurship — these are cases where the stake is not only a fine but the client’s personal liberty and control over assets.
Litigant supports clients from the first contact with law enforcement (search, summons, asset arrest) until the verdict enters into force. We work with the SBI, NABU, SBU, Economic Security Bureau, State Tax Service, and prosecutor’s offices at every level. Defense begins before the case reaches court — methodological errors of investigators at the pre-trial stage determine the outcome at cassation.
Scope of services in White-Collar Crime cases
24/7 search defense
Lawyer on-site within 1–2 hours in Kyiv or Odesa. Control of search legality, recording of violations, appeal of investigating-judge orders.
Interrogation support
Pre-interrogation preparation, presence during witness/suspect questioning, prevention of status change through tactical errors.
Removal of asset arrests
Appeal against freezes on corporate accounts, real estate, equity rights. Preserving operational capacity throughout the proceedings.
Defense at trial court
Defense strategy, evidence base, cross-examination, expert witnesses. Building on investigative procedural errors as the foundation for acquittal.
Appellate and cassation review
Drafting of appeal and cassation petitions, representation before the Kyiv Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court Cassation Criminal Court.
When clients turn to Litigant
Typical situations requiring immediate legal intervention. Each demands a response within hours, not days.
- 01Investigators arrived with a search at the company or at the director’s home
- 02Criminal proceedings opened against the owner or management
- 03Summons for questioning as witness or suspect (SBI, NABU, SBU, ESB)
- 04Freeze of corporate accounts or property under investigating-judge order
- 05Criminal pressure used as a tool in corporate conflicts
Frequently asked questions about White-Collar Crime
Answers to questions most often raised by business owners and C-level managers before signing a legal-services agreement.
What is White-Collar Crime in Ukraine?
White-Collar Crime is a collective term for economic criminal offences committed by business or public-sector representatives without physical violence. Under Ukrainian law this category includes: tax evasion (Art. 212 CC), money laundering (Art. 209 CC), fictitious entrepreneurship (Art. 205-1 CC), fraud with financial resources (Art. 222 CC), bringing to bankruptcy (Art. 219 CC), abuse of office (Art. 364 CC). Investigation is conducted by SBI, NABU, SBU and the Economic Security Bureau depending on the subject composition and damage size.
What should a business owner do when investigators arrive with a search?
First and foremost — call a lawyer before opening the door, and inform the investigator about it. The law allows a 2-hour wait for defense counsel to arrive (Art. 233 CCP). Give no explanations without your lawyer, sign no protocols, hand over no equipment without inventory. Record any violations on your own phone — this is permitted. Verify the authority of search participants and the investigating-judge order: it must contain a specific list of search targets. Anything beyond that list is unlawful seizure subject to return.
How does witness status differ from suspect status?
A witness must appear for questioning and give truthful testimony but has the right to counsel and may refuse to testify against themselves and close relatives (Art. 63 Constitution). A suspect has broader defense rights — receives copies of procedural documents, participates in investigative actions, appeals investigator’s actions. The risk of upgrading from witness to suspect always exists, so a lawyer’s presence at witness questioning is essential: a single careless wording opens the path to a notice of suspicion. Litigant accompanies clients from the first summons, even when they are formally still witnesses.
How to protect assets during criminal proceedings?
Assets are protected through three mechanisms. First — appealing the investigating-judge order on arrest before the court of appeal (5 days from service). Second — motions to alter the preventive measure or lift the arrest within the proceedings upon changed circumstances. Third — strategic corporate-structure planning before risk arises: separation of operating and asset-holding entities, use of trusts and foreign jurisdictions within the law. Litigant combines reactive defense (appealing existing arrests) with proactive engineering — anti-raid structures that withstand criminal pressure.
How much does White-Collar Crime defense cost?
The cost depends on proceedings stage, number of episodes, case-file volume and evidence complexity. Indicatively: defense at pre-trial in a medium-complexity case starts at UAH 80 000 per month of support. Cases with a large evidence base (financial-credit operations, international investigations) start at UAH 250 000 per month. We work under a legal-services agreement with a fixed monthly retainer or on a per-procedural-action basis. The first case pre-analysis is free, via the form at /kontakty.
Don’t let the investigation seize the initiative
In White-Collar Crime cases, the result is determined within the first 48 hours after a search or notice of suspicion. Describe the situation — we’ll respond within 2 business hours and propose an action plan.
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