The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) filed a lawsuit with the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) to recognise assets as unjustified and confiscate them to the state (civil forfeiture), which actually belong to a member of the Ukrainian parliament.
The lawsuit was based on the results of monitoring the official's lifestyle, carried out by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), as well as evidence obtained independently by the SAPO prosecutor.
The NACP found that during 2020-2021, unofficial drivers of the people's representative, as well as representatives of a private company associated with him, purchased three luxury cars for private ownership, but after the purchase, the official used them. These were a 2020 Toyota Land Cruiser 200, a 2020 BMW 730LD, and a 2020 BMW X5. The total value of the unjustified assets amounted to over 8.6 million UAH.
It is also worth noting that the official even received access to the territory of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine.
After analysing the income and expenses of the deputy, his family members, and persons associated with him, the Agency determined that it was impossible to acquire the specified assets from legal income.
The assets may be seized in favour of the state in accordance with Article 290 of the Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine.
It should be noted that, in accordance with the Law of Ukraine ‘On Prevention of Corruption,’ a person authorised to perform functions of the state or local self-government, in respect of whom a court decision on the recognition of assets as unjustified and their confiscation in favour of the state has entered into legal force, shall be dismissed from office in accordance with the procedure established by law.
Disclaimer: In accordance with Part 1 of Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, a person is presumed innocent of a crime and cannot be subjected to criminal punishment until their guilt is proven in accordance with the law and established by a court conviction.
