UAH 10 billion on the “grain corridor”: SBI searches reported in Odesa BES
30 October 2024 12:29
The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has been conducting large-scale searches in the Odesa office of the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) for two days. This was reported by the Telegram channel Seredich.info, citing its own sources, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
According to the sources, these measures are aimed at exposing large-scale financial fraud in the “grain corridor” scheme, which led to losses for the state in the amount of more than UAH 10 billion through tax evasion.
The SBI believes that significant amounts of money saved on taxes by grain traders could have ended up in the pockets of high-ranking officials. The suspects include the heads of the Odesa BES, local customs and the prosecutor’s office. The investigation is expected to identify those who personally benefited from the scheme.
According to the rumors published by the channel, one of the organizers of the deal is former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who has formally resigned from his post, but, according to sources, continues to influence the processes related to grain traders.
Despite Verbytskyi’s alleged crimes, the NABU and the NAPC have not yet intensified the investigation into his alleged illicit enrichment. Now, according to the channel, the proceedings are not progressing, remaining on hold in the archive.
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The Verbytskyi case
According to a recent investigation by the Skhemy project, the girlfriend of (now ex-) Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Dmytro Verbytskyi leads a luxurious life. In 2024, Khrystyna Ilnytska bought a luxury Porsche car and a three-story cottage in Kyiv. The total cost of these purchases reaches 52 million hryvnias.
Verbytskyi denies any involvement in financing these purchases. However, Ilnytska’s officially declared income over the past 10 years is only about 360 thousand hryvnias.
Verbytskyi’s girlfriend denied the information in the Skhemy investigation and stated that she had bought all the property at her own expense.
This case caused a wide public outcry and led to the opening of criminal proceedings by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine regarding Verbytskyi’s possible illicit enrichment.
(Former) Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin stated that an internal investigation had been launched against Verbytskyi.
on June 21, Verbytskyi was suspended, and on July 1, he was relieved of his duties.
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