The Supreme Court of Ukraine repeated consideration of criminal proceedings against the notorious smuggler Vadym Alperin, whom the investigation considers the organizer of a large-scale scheme for customs clearance of goods, which caused losses to the state of more than 60 million hryvnias. The case was returned to the court of first instance — despite the defense’s attempt to close the proceedings, referring to the infamous “Lozovoy corrections.”
The special resonance of the story is given by the fact that one of the persons involved is Alina Danchenko, the sister of the scandalous high-ranking official of NABU Oleksandr Skomarov, who is currently applying for the position of director of the Bureau of Economic Security. According to the investigation, Danchenko once headed the department of administration of customs payments in the State Fiscal Service and, according to detectives, assisted Alperin in the implementation of illegal schemes.
The materials of the criminal proceedings indicate that Danchenko coordinated the actions of customs officials, giving them instructions on which violations can be allowed during customs clearance of cargo, and which ones cannot. Investigators seized her correspondence with Alperin himself during the searches. NABU has been investigating the case since 2017 as the activity of an organized criminal group that destroyed the state budget under the guise of customs operations.
Skomarov, who heads the NABU detective department, tried to take his sister as a surety as a close relative, but the court refused him. This move has caused serious concern in NAKC. During an interview at the Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, international expert Laura Stefan directly pointed out the conflict of interests: a person who has access to operational information in the case is trying to influence the course of the investigation in the interests of the family.
Previously, Alperin’s case was effectively “buried” due to formal procedural grounds — the court granted the defense’s request for the application of procedural restrictions arising from the “Lozovoy amendments”. However, SAP prosecutors contested the decision in an appeal, and now the case is back in the active phase.
Thus, the Supreme Court not only put an end to attempts to close the Alperin file, but also opened a new round of scandal surrounding one of the most resonant figures in the NABU system. If the trial continues openly, the law enforcement system will have a chance to answer the main question: did family ties in high offices really provide shelter to the king of Ukrainian smuggling.
We will remind you that Oleksandr Skomarov, despite his efforts to occupy a leadership position in the Bureau of Economic Security, is now responsible for one of the most important areas in the NABU — control over the full and impartial investigation of criminal proceedings, conducting operative and investigative activities, establishing and seizing the assets of suspects, as well as analytical work.
Back in 2019, when Skomarov already held one of the highest positions in the NABU structure, there was a fire around his name scandal. The investigation, which was conducted by NABU detectives, led to the detection of schemes that operated at the customs and cost the budget more than 63 million hryvnias. In addition to Alperin himself, Alina Danchenko (née Skomarova), the detective’s sister, became a key figure in the case.
Investigators believe that she was the one who gave instructions to the customs officials about which violations are allowed in the customs clearance process and which are not. By her actions, according to the investigation, she contributed to the implementation of the scheme, which allowed the criminal group to evade customs payments.
In November 2019, Danchenko was detained. The court granted her bail in the amount of 2.1 million hryvnias. It was then that Oleksandr Skomarov officially acted as guarantor for his sister, appealing to the court to change her preventive measure. He justified this by having a moral duty to prevent a procedural error against a person who, he emphasized, “is not guilty of a crime” and “has no intention of absconding.”
Despite the shadow of the scandal, Skomarov repeatedly tried to get management positions in anti-corruption structures. In particular, he participated in the competition for the position of the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, but failed to pass an intelligence test. Later, he was defeated again, failing to pass the interview stage in the competition for the post of NABU director.
One more nuance deserves special attention — according to the data obtained by StopCor journalists, Oleksandr Skomarov’s father, Viktor Skomarov, has a valid passport of a citizen of the Russian Federation. Document series 3923 #631482 was issued in 2024 and, according to the data, is in a valid status. In addition, according to information from the Unified Register of Taxpayers of the Russian Federation, Viktor Skomarov is registered with the Federal Border Service of Russia.
