By KYIV. Dec 22 (Interfax-Ukraine) – The anti-corruption authorities of Ukraine have notified eight people, including the former head of the Verkhovna Rada committee, officials of the SBU, ARMA and state-owned enterprises, of suspicion of misappropriation of the recourse of a bank for more than UAH 128 million, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has reported.
"On December 21, 2022, SAPO prosecutors and NABU detectives reported on suspicion to eight persons, including the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee of the VIII convocation, the head of an SBU Main Investigations Directorate’s department, an ARMA official, the management of a state-owned enterprise, who, as part of an organized group, unlawfully seized the right to demand payment of over UAH 128 million from a banking institution," the SAPO said on Facebook.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the actions of the suspects were qualified on the grounds of crimes under Part 5 of Article 191 (appropriation, embezzlement of property), Part 3, Part 4 of Article 358 (forgery of documents), Part 2 of Article 364 (abuse of power), Part 3 of Article 368 (obtaining unlawful benefits by an official), Part 3 of Article 369 (offering or providing an unlawful benefit to an official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The SAPO explained that, according to investigators, in 2019 the head of the committee of the VIII convocation of the Verkhovna Rada, being the actual owner of a number of legal entities, was developing a land parcel on the outskirts of Kyiv.
"Construction was carried out for credit funds secured by a multi-apartment housing complex to be built in the future, land parcels and a number of personal guarantees (including an MP). To avoid mortgage obligations and be able to sell the constructed residential property, the MP with the involvement of the head of the department of the Main Investigations Department of the SBU (currently the person holds a senior position in the Central Office of the SBI), the head of the ARMA division, the management of the state-owned enterprise SETAM, as well as appraisers, organized the illegal alienation of the right to claim a banking institution through the relevant National Agency and the state-owned enterprise," the prosecutor’s office said.
According to the report, the fraudsters used fake official documents, provided and received unlawful benefits, thanks to which they achieved the redemption of the said property at a reduced cost to a controlled legal entity.
"The conclusions of the examinations confirm that the implementation of this criminal scheme caused damage of more than UAH 112 million to the banking institution – this is the amount that makes up the difference between the real cost and the one paid by the fraudsters," the SAPO said.
The prosecutor’s report did not name the suspects. A law enforcement source told Interfax-Ukraine that the case in question is former MP Serhiy Skuratovsky (Oleh Liashko’s Radical Party faction).
