Ukrainian officials in 2024 declared crypto assets worth a record 786 million hryvnias, which is 49% more than in 2023. These data are contained in 2,200 declarations submitted to the Unified State Register of Declarations of Persons Authorized to Perform State or Local Self-Government Functions. About this reported National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP).
In 2022, declared cryptocurrencies amounted to UAH 371 million in 1.32 thousand declarations, and in 2023 – already UAH 526 million in 1.71 thousand documents. Experts explain this trend with the growing popularity of cryptocurrencies as a way to save and invest funds. At the same time, some of the declarants probably use them to hide illegally acquired assets.
During the inspections, NAZK found numerous violations in the declaration of crypto assets. Most often, officials cannot confirm the availability of the declared funds. In many cases, significant sums in cryptocurrency were indicated in the declarations, but there is no evidence of any kind – neither confirmed addresses of crypto wallets, nor stock exchange statements, not even screenshots.
NAZK has already investigated several high-profile cases. Thus, the former head of the Department of Internal Affairs in the Odesa region could not confirm that his wife had 37 bitcoins worth more than UAH 57.7 million. The former head of the Department of Justice in Dnipro declared income from the sale of cryptocurrency for 2.5 million hryvnias, but in fact he did not receive the money. And the deputy director of the SE “Hall of official delegations” entered 10 bitcoins worth more than UAH 5.8 million into the declaration, but later stated that he had made a mistake while filling it out. All these cases were transferred to the State Bureau of Investigation.
