PGO prosecutor, lawyers caught on USD 3.5 million bribery incitement
Detectives of NABU's Internal Control Department and the Third Detective Unit, in cooperation with SAPO, have exposed a prosecutor of the Prosecutor General's Office and two lawyers for inciting a bribe of USD 3.5 million. The funds were allegedly intended for SAPO prosecutors and judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court to close a criminal proceeding investigated by NABU detectives.
According to the investigation, between February 10 and September 18, 2025, the lawyers, acting in collusion with a prosecutor of the Prosecutor General's Office, offered a suspect in one of NABU’s cases to facilitate its closure through the bribery of SAPO and HACC officials.
The perpetrators undertook to act as intermediaries in receiving and transferring the illicit funds. Meanwhile, the amount of the solicited bribe increased from an initial USD 2 million to USD 3.5 million.
The accomplices developed a detailed plan that provided for the transfer of the funds in several installments. By the time the scheme was exposed, detectives had documented the receipt of USD 200,000.
All three have been notified of suspicion under Part 2 Article 15, Part 4 Article 27, and Part 4 Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
According to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is considered not-guilty in the commission of a crime and cannot be subject to criminal punishment until he or she is found guilty by court.
