Ruling from the High Anti-Corruption Court
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has ruled in favor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), ordering the forfeiture of assets worth 8.5 million hryvnias (approximately $230,000) from the former head of the State Tax Service in Chernihiv region. The assets were deemed unjustified and have been recovered for the state.
The case was initiated based on lifestyle monitoring conducted by the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP). Investigative materials from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and evidence provided by SAPO were also used in the proceedings.
Between 2021 and 2023, the former official and her relatives—including her mother and son—acquired the following property:
- A 2020 Volvo XC,
- an apartment,
- four parking spaces in a Kyiv residential complex.
The total value of these assets exceeded the family's legally declared income by more than 8.5 million hryvnias, forming the basis for the court's decision.
Significance of Anti-Corruption Efforts
This case highlights the ongoing anti-corruption push in Ukraine, particularly targeting public officials. Declaring assets as unjustified and seizing them for the state serves as a warning to other civil servants that corrupt practices will not go unpunished.
Decisions like this also help strengthen public trust in state institutions and anti-corruption bodies, showing that the system can hold even high-ranking officials accountable.