Results of the NABU’s and the SAPO’s work in October: 730 proceeding are under investigation

As of October 31, 2018, the Detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine under the procedural guidance of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) investigate 730 criminal proceedings. 276 persons are accused of committing criminal corruption offences within 166 cases, which were sent to court.In October 2018, 7 cases were sent to court. In particular:

- «amber case» as of the facts of receiving an improper advantage for the assistance to a foreign company in the realization of amber mining in Ukraine;

- «Krayan Plant case» as of the facts of embezzlement of 185 million UAH Odesa Сity budget during purchasing of the buildings of the Open Joint Stock Company (OJSC) «Holding Company «Krayan»

- case as of the facts of receiving an improper advantage by the judge of the Holosiyivsky District Court of Kyiv and an intermediary.

Currently in 48 out of 166 criminal proceedings, sent to court, the trials have not started.

The «record-holder» on the delaying of trial is the so-called «сase as of the prosecutors of Ternopil Region». The court once again decided to return the indictment. Therefore, the preliminary case hearing cannot take place during almost 2 years.

Only in 35 proceedings court decisions passed. Most of them are based on plea bargain agreements with minor participants in corruption schemes, concluded by the investigation in exchange for testimony and/ or compensation for damage, caused to the State.

There are a lot of reasons of why the courts fail to start considering the NABU`s cases: the problem of determining jurisdiction, employment and recusals of judges, failures to appear in courts etc.

As of the end of October, 143 persons are suspected of committing corruption crimes. In October, the NABU Detectives and the SAPO prosecutors gave a notice of suspicions to a citizen who proposed 15 thousand USD of improper advantage to the prosecutor of the General Prosecutor`s Office of Ukraine.

The prosecutor of the General Prosecutor`s Office of Ukraine, who demanded an improper advantage, and the former Head of the State Ecological Inspection of Ukraine, who submitted false data to e-declaration, and 10 persons (including two current and one former officials of the «State Savings Bank of Ukraine»), who allegedly embezzled 20 million USD, were given notices of suspicion.