NABU, SAPO expose UAH 967 mln oil products scheme, top official among suspects

On Feb. 12, 2024, NABU and SAPO, in cooperation with the SSU, exposed a criminal organization whose actions led to UAH 967 million in damages to the state in 2014-2018.

As established, in 2014, a court imposed a seizure on oil products imported to Ukraine in violation of the law. One of the entrepreneurs in the oil business, with influential ties in state and law enforcement bodies, together with a top official of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, devised a scheme to misappropriate the seized property and established a criminal organization for this purpose.

They then managed to transfer the crude to a state enterprise run by controlled persons. The top official also ensured control over storage facilities with the help of units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, whose actions were guided by members of the criminal organization.

After that, the state enterprise sold the crude in full and at reduced prices to a company controlled by the co-organizer of the scheme under the pretext of forced sale. Part of the payment was then transferred to the accounts of other controlled entities, while the state budget did not receive a single hryvnia.

This resulted in losses to the state worth UAH 967 million.

In total, there are 6 suspects so far:

• the former acting Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, MP, head of a committee of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, co-organizer of the criminal organization;
• a businessman, co-organizer of the criminal organization;
• the ex-director of the state enterprise;
• the ex-deputy director of the state enterprise;
• a manager of the state enterprise;
• the director of the private company.

Their actions fall under Part 1 of Article 255 and Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The efforts to determine the full extent of the losses, as well as identify other individuals involved, including high-ranking officials, are ongoing.