This is stated in an investigation by Rise Moldova.
The most prominent business in Germany is Kartina, a Russian-language streaming television platform. RISE Moldova has learned that the German tax authorities are suing the platform for tens of millions of euros for alleged tax evasion over a ten-year period.
However, the business of the two Transnistrian oligarchs is not limited to Russian-language streaming television, but extends to caviar trading, textiles, media and advertising services, real estate, software development, operation and distribution.
A month ago, investigators from the tax department and the German Federal Criminal Police Office searched the headquarters of Kartina.TV in Wiesbaden, the capital of the federal state of Hesse, located 40 kilometers from Frankfurt am Main.
According to Der Spiegel, the investigation concerns alleged tax evasion worth millions of euros by two media companies – Kartina Digital GmbH and Kartina.Tv, both linked to the owners of Sheriff Holding (Şerif SRL, according to an extract from the register of legal entities of the Republic of Moldova).
Accusation of tax evasion for almost 40 million euros
“Representatives of two media companies from Wiesbaden are accused of evading millions of euros in taxes by using various offshore companies,” said senior prosecutor Dominik Mies, as quoted by Deutsche Welle.
Financial reports analyzed by RISE Moldova show that the streaming TV platform Kartina Digital GmbH, founded and managed by Andreas Reich, a native of Tiraspol, has had serious problems with German tax authorities for several years.
Thus, after an audit for the years 2010-2019, the tax administration informed the company of a potential tax debt of about 39 million euros, including interest.
“Kartina Digital GmbH is currently gathering arguments and evidence to refute the tax administration’s assessment with the help of an external tax expert. In the course of the preparation of the annual financial statements, the company, together with its specialized tax advisor, came to the opposite conclusion, according to which the tax arrears could amount to a maximum of €16 million,” the company said in its 2023 financial audit report for 2025.
At the same time, the financial auditor states in its report that, regardless of the situation, the payment of these taxes could lead to significant liquidity and financing difficulties for the company, which “could seriously jeopardize the company’s ability to continue its operations.”
The same report also mentions that as of 2018, Kartina Digital is involved in a lawsuit in the US with another streaming platform, Actava TV.
“Actava is seeking damages of $25 million as well as attorneys’ fees and interest, while Kartina Digital GmbH and its co-defendants have filed counterclaims for breach of contract in tort, breach of contract and fraud,” the German company said in the report.
The company’s management estimates that if the court rules in favor of Actava, Kartina Digital could face significant financial liabilities ($25 million plus attorneys’ fees and interest), which could significantly affect the financial stability of the platform.
Shareholders accuse the director of
Journalists tried to get the platform’s administration’s opinion on the searches, but after sending an email, they received a standard message in Russian that a response would be given in a few days, with a caveat to stop repeated requests. After more than a week of waiting, the investigators still have not received a response.
They also wrote directly to Andreas Reich, the founder and director of the platform, via his Facebook page.
They also contacted one of Kartina Digital’s current partners, Oleg Zhekov, Ilija Cazmala’s son-in-law. He told RISE Moldova that he could not comment on the case or the searches because the company was accused of crimes committed when he was not a shareholder.
“The law enforcement authorities’ claims are directed against the company’s CEO. For my part, I can only say that there are no charges, suspicions or accusations against my family or me personally,” Oleg Zhecov told reporters.
