Corruption in the state service: officials of SE Document embezzled millions
19 June 2025 17:42
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), together with the National Police, has exposed an organized corruption scheme at the state-owned enterprise Document, which provides passport issuance services. This is reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to information from the SBU.
According to the investigation, during 2022-2023, the scheme participants misappropriated more than UAH 21 million from the state budget.
Eight people were involved in organizing the crime – former and current officials of the state-owned document company, three of whom held senior positions. According to SBU counterintelligence, after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion, they created a corruption mechanism through which they received kickbacks from subordinate employees.
The essence of the scheme was to accrue double salaries to employees who were sent to a foreign branch of the passport service in one of the European Union countries. Employees received one official salary in Ukraine and a second one on a foreign bank card, allegedly for services that were not actually provided. They were forced to transfer part of this second salary to the managers who organized the scheme.
During the searches, the SBU seized financial documents, bank cards and data on opening accounts in foreign financial institutions, which confirm the criminal actions.
Following the investigation, eight suspects were served a notice of suspicion under Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – misappropriation or embezzlement of property through abuse of office in a particularly large scale. The sanction of the article provides for a sentence of up to 8 years in prison.
The investigation is ongoing. Operational and investigative measures are being carried out under the procedural guidance of the Pechersk District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv and in cooperation with the State Migration Service of Ukraine. Law enforcement officers promise to bring the case to an end and bring all perpetrators to justice.
What you need to know about SE “Document”
The State Enterprise “Document” is an official service institution that operates within the system of the State Migration Service of Ukraine. The company was established in 2003 and has been under the management of the SMS since 2011.
Its main function is to provide administrative services to citizens in the field of migration policy. It administers the Unified State Demographic Register, modernizes personal data processing systems, and operates service centers under the Passport Service brand.
The company offers services for issuing:
- biometric passports and ID cards,
- police clearance certificates
- apostilles
- driver’s licenses, etc.
In 2024, Dokument significantly increased its economic activity. The company’s net profit amounted to about UAH 704 million, with a total revenue of over UAH 1.97 billion. The company is fully self-sufficient and does not receive funding from the state budget.
The company has more than 25 service centers in Ukraine and another 14 branches in the European Union and Turkey. The main office is located in Kyiv, at 8 Dovnar-Zapolsky Street. The number of employees exceeds 500 people.
The head of SE “Document” is Serhii Prokopchenko.
As of 2025, the company actively participates in government tenders, including those commissioned by the State Migration Service, for more than UAH 600 million. In 2025, more than 90 tender procedures have already been held through Prozorro.
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