The SBI transferred to the state budget 104 million hryvnias seized from a deputy of the Rivne Regional Council (video)
Last year, a deputy of the Rivne Regional Council, who at the same time held the position of deputy head of the Polissky Forestry Office of the Forests of Ukraine, was found to have undeclared assets worth millions of dollars. State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) reported, that 104 million hryvnias seized during the investigation have already been transferred to the state budget by the decision of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
In November 2023, during searches of the deputy, as well as in his apartment and workplace, SBI investigators found more than 4 million dollars in cash in various currencies. In addition, three luxury cars — AUDI Q8, MERCEDES-BENZ GLE 350E, BMW X5 — were seized, as well as jewelry and expensive watches, including the luxury brand Patek Philippe. During the investigation, gold coins, gold bars, two pistols and a Kalashnikov assault rifle with 16 magazines were also found.
In addition, the deputy owned four plots of land in Rivne, on which he built cottages, but formally the plots were registered to persons under his control.
The deputy was taken into custody and suspected. The case was transferred to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), and in early May 2024, prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office entered into a plea agreement with the suspect.
The High Anti-Corruption Court approved the agreement and imposed a sentence of 5 years of imprisonment with a probationary period of 3 years, as well as a special confiscation of funds in the amount of 104 million hryvnias, which includes more than 1.3 million US dollars, 1 million euros and more than 1.5 million hryvnias.
