The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) under the procedural guidance of prosecutors of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecution Office (SAP) states the exposure of a criminal organization led by the former chairman of the State Property Fund (SPF) of Ukraine, whose participants during 2019-2021 seized over 500 million UAH funds of JSC “Odessa Port Plant” (OPP) and JSC “United Mining and Chemical Company” (UMCP).
“At the same time, the amount of unlawful benefit received by members of the criminal organization for the entire period of control of JSC “OPZ” is more than 2 billion UAH,” the NABU reported on its website on Wednesday.
In the message there is no direct reference to the name of the head of the IGF, except “DS” or “Dima”. Meanwhile, at the time in question, the Fund was headed by Dmytro Sennichenko, who in 2019-2020 three times surrendered to the NABU who offered him bribes, including $5 million for the appointment of OPZ director.
As the NABU now claims, the criminal organization led by Sennichenko also included a person close to him (co-organizer), an adviser to the head of the IGF, two acting OPZ director, the acting head of the OGHK, two owners of LLC – the winner of the auction for toll processing at the OPZ and two more individuals.
The report indicates that the OPZ’s acting director and an adviser to the head of the State Property Fund have been detained. Seven persons – the former head of the SPF, a person close to him, the acting director of the OPZ, the acting head of the OGCC, two LLC owners and one individual – were notified of the suspicion in accordance with Article 135, Article 278 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (in writing), while one more person was personally detained.
As reported, the OPZ has been idle since late April 2018. The company called work on give-and-take conditions the only possible option for the resumption of its work in conditions of failed attempts at privatization and accumulated debt for gas to Naftogaz of Ukraine, which exceeds 1.5 billion UAH.
In August 2019, the plant resumed work under the contract signed with Agro Gas Trading LLC (Kiev, “ATG”) under the tolling scheme until December 1, 2019.
In September 2019, Dmitry Sennichenko was appointed head of the GPF instead of Vitaly Trubarov, who reported on December 11 that the updated composition of the new leadership of the GPF board of directors agreed with the davalter to increase the price for processing.
In mid-December, it was announced that the OPZ’s board of directors had agreed to a supplementary agreement with AGT to the tolling agreement for the period from January 1 to April 30, 2020.
At the end of January, 2020 OPZ announced a tender for the selection of a supplier of 50-60 million cubic meters of gas per month on give-and-take terms for the work of the enterprise in May-December the same year. The minimum bid price was $37 per ton of ammonia and $48 per ton of urea (excluding VAT).
At the end of February 2020 First Deputy Director of OPZ Mykola Shchurikov said that the company accepted bids from eight companies to participate in the tender for the selection of a partner for toll processing of gas into mineral fertilizers during May-December 2020: IBE Trade (USA), Basis Trade AG, MADDOX SA (both Switzerland) and Ukrainian Agro Gas Trading LLC, Trading House Socar Ukraine LLC, Tech Prom Gas LLC, Ukrnaftoburnia JSC and Yug Gas LLC.
In early March, Shchurikov said that Ukrnaftoburinnya (UNB), owned by Igor Kolomoysky and Vitaliy Khomutynnyk, offered the best price conditions in the final stage of the tender: $77 for processing a ton of urea and $39.5 for processing ammonia.
On March 10, when the results were officially announced, the OPZ National Assembly cancelled the tender for the selection of the investor. The SPF stated that the reason for the cancellation was “an overpriced, economically unreasonable proposal” by UNB, which, in the opinion of the agency, is unprofitable for the mining company.
The OPF Board of Directors stated that it saw in such actions of the “UNB” owners “an aspiration to gain leverage to manage the plant and take it under their control, which will result in the return of corrupt schemes at the plant, reducing its market value and creating the preconditions for the transfer of the OPF into private hands for next to nothing.
NABU, SENNICHENKO, ОГХК, ОПЗ
The Cabinet of Ministers has appointed Semyon Kryvonos, head of the State Architecture and Urban Planning Inspectorate, as director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
The decision was made at an extraordinary government meeting on Monday.
In addition to Kryvonos, the meeting considered the candidates Sergei Gupyak and Roman Osypchuk, who were also transferred to the government on the results of the tender.
“Having received all the necessary materials of the selection committee, the government has carefully studied these materials for each candidate and has made a personal acquaintance with each candidate in equal conditions,” said Prime Minister Denis Shmygal.
At the same time he stressed that with the specified appointment Ukraine had fulfilled all seven recommendations put forward when the country received the status of EU candidate as well as fully established anti-corruption infrastructure.
According to government decree No 192 of March 6, Kryvonos was appointed NABU director for a seven-year term.
The commission for the competition for the position of director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) will determine three finalists for the selection on March 4.
“On March 4, 2023, a meeting of the commission on holding a competition for the position of director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau … The meeting will consider the determination of three selected candidates,” reads the announcement on the government website.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has put Mikhail Volynets, a Verkhovna Rada MP of the ninth convocation and leader of the Independent Union of Mineworkers of Ukraine, on the wanted list for allegedly entering false information in the 2020 e-declaration for almost 1.79 million UAH.
“The NABU is looking for Volynets Mikhail Yakovlevich, suspected of committing a criminal offense under part 1 of Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine,” reported in the Telegram channel NABU on Thursday.
As reported, the NABU and the SAP informed Volynets of the suspicion under Part 1 of Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code (as amended until July 21, 2021), November 17. “In the declaration for 2020 people’s deputy did not indicate 2 luxury cars, which he used and which by right of ownership belonged to his close relatives, as well as the income of his civil wife in the amount of almost 95 thousand UAH. In total, the amount of undeclared property is more than 786 times higher than the subsistence minimum for able-bodied persons, “- stated in the message.
The SAP notes that the pre-trial investigation was launched by the prosecutor-general on the report of the SAP prosecutors due to the discovery of relevant information during a journalistic investigation. Later, as the prosecutor’s office stressed, this information was confirmed by the materials of the NAPC check and the results of the investigation by NABU detectives.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced a new episode in the Rotterdam+ case for another UAH 20 billion, as part of the investigation of which 2 former chairmen of the energy regulator NEURC were reported suspected; 6 former and 3 current members, as well as the current and former employee of the Commission.
“On October 26, 2022, NABU and SAPO reported the suspicion of 15 persons involved in the implementation of the so-called Rotterdam + formula, according to which electricity consumers illegally overpaid more than UAH 20 billion during 2018-2019,” the law enforcement authorities said in a statement. on Wednesday.
According to him, among the suspects is a current and former official of a group of private heat generating companies.
As explained by the NABU, 6 of these 15 persons, according to the investigation, knowingly took part in the crime, received new suspicions under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (abuse of power with grave consequences). The actions of the NEURC members who, without understanding, voted for the approval of the so-called “Rotterdam +” formula, were qualified under Part 2 of Article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (negligence with grave consequences).
“The investigation believes that they improperly performed their official duties, which entailed grave consequences for the state and public interests,” the bureau noted.
As specified in the NABU, this is the second episode of a large-scale investigation by anti-corruption agencies. The investigation of the first, on suspicion of six people, regarding the illegal overpayment of more than UAH 19 billion during 2016-2017, was completed in September 2022.
According to investigators, the so-called “Rotterdam+” formula included expenses that did not actually exist, namely, the transportation of nationally produced coal to TPPs from the port in Rotterdam. As a result, according to NABU and SAPO, end consumers during 2016-2019. overpaid more than UAH 39 billion.
“The investigation has evidence that representatives of a group of private heat generating companies, who eventually received excess profits, persuaded the NKREKU (National Commission for State Regulation in the Energy and Public Services – IF) to accept such a formula. At first, the regulator did not agree, realizing the absurdity of including transportation costs in the tariff However, in March 2016, he agreed to this proposal,” the ministry stressed.
As a result, there was an increase in electricity tariffs for industry, social infrastructure facilities, entrepreneurs, which led to an increase in the cost of goods and services to the end consumer, including essentials, the NABU summarized.
As reported, the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (CFG), Oleksandr Klimenko, decided in September 2022 to cancel the prosecutor’s decision to close the so-called “Rotterdam+ case” as illegal and unfounded.
It was noted that Klymenko also completely changed the group of prosecutors in this case due to the ineffective implementation of supervision over the observance of laws during the pre-trial investigation.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has put three defendants in the Ukrgasbank (Kyiv) case on the wanted list, including the former head of the National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Kirill Shevchenko.
“NABU is looking for three officials of JSB Ukrgasbank involved in the theft of more than UAH 200 million. We are talking about the ex-chairman of the board of Ukrgasbank, one of the deputies of Ukrgasbank and the deputy director of the department for working with corporate VIP clients of this state institution,” the press reports. – NABU service.
It is specified that, in addition to Shevchenko, the former head of the NBU, who previously held the post of chairman of the board of Ukrgasbank, Denis Chernyshov, deputy head of the board of the bank, and Olena Khmelenko, deputy director of the department for working with corporate VIP clients, have been put on the wanted list.
It is noted that they were notified of suspicion in early October, but in a special order, since the location of these persons was unknown. Since then, the suspects have ignored calls to the investigator, which is why they were put on the wanted list.
As reported, the anti-corruption authorities of Ukraine exposed the illegal activities of officials of the state-owned Ukrgasbank. Five main defendants in this crime were notified of suspicion, among which was Shevchenko.
According to the prosecutor’s office, it was established that the management of Ukrgasbank, having information about banking service agreements concluded with large customers, used it to steal money.
“For this purpose, bank officials ensured the conclusion of fictitious contracts with individuals and legal entities, who allegedly, being the bank’s “agents”, attracted large clients to it. For such “agent services”, the bank illegally paid “remuneration” to these persons on a monthly basis, “they explained then in the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.
The investigation found that during 2014-2020. under this scheme, 52 fictitious agents were groundlessly transferred funds from the state bank in the amount of more than UAH 206 million.
On October 4, Shevchenko announced his resignation from the post of head of the NBU for health reasons. The Rada appointed him to this seven-year term on July 16, 2020, before that he headed the board of the state-owned Ukrgasbank.
On October 7, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Andriy Pyshny, ex-head of Oschadbank, to the post of head of the NBU.
