Serhiy Kuyun: “Pashinsky’s case is about piracy, when power is used to take something away”
13 February 2024 10:15
Yesterday, anti-corruption authorities announced the completion of a 10-year investigation that resulted in the suspicion of former MP and current head of the National Association of Defence Industry Enterprises of Ukraine Serhiy Pashynsky. The case concerns a scheme to misappropriate and sell 97,000 tonnes of state-confiscated petroleum products that were supposed to be used for the needs of the army. 
asked fuel market expert and director of the A-95 consulting group Sergiy Kuyun.
Law enforcers announced the exposure of a criminal organisation that, according to the investigation, misappropriated Kurchenko’s oil products, which were supposed to be used for the needs of the army. In particular, Sergei Pashinsky is involved in this case, and his house was searched yesterday. You commented on the story of these oil products back in 2015, could you remind us what you knew at the time?
This is a long story. To cut a long story short, after the 2014 revolution, someone decided to quickly dekulakise the oligarchs of the Yanukovych era, so to speak. In particular, Kurchenko. His main business was the supply of oil products, and there were also proceedings opened against him for supplying them without paying taxes, etc. Anyway, there were three locations: Vasylkiv, Kherson and Odesa Oil Refinery. These are the facilities controlled by Kurchenko and where his oil products were stored. And, accordingly, then, so to speak, in the name of the Revolution, this fuel was seized under the noble slogans of helping the army, the budget, etc. But in reality, it turned out that all this fuel, about 100,000 tonnes of oil, was sold, but neither the state budget nor the army received almost anything. In fact, this volume was simply stolen, taking advantage of the situation at the time.
According to the investigation, the state suffered losses of almost UAH 1 billion in 2014-2018 due to the activities of the criminal organisation. This is a considerable amount, and the fact of an alleged crime almost a decade ago. Why do you think we are talking about the case only today? Why not earlier?
I don’t know, maybe something has changed now… Unfortunately, this is the problem – such cases take a long time to investigate, and then it is difficult to punish the criminals. We have what we have.
Tetyana Chornovol wrote that in recent months, Pashynskyi has been demanding that the NABU investigate corruption in the purchase of ammunition. According to her, Pashynskyi, as a well-known anti-corruption activist, was simply interfering with those who wanted to profit from the defence sector. Do you think this opinion is justified? In terms of yesterday’s searches, are we talking about a possible crime or about removing those who prevent theft?
I don’t know anything about his corruption struggle. I have personal views, but I won’t share them.
But I do know that the 2015 episode is definitely a scam, a deal that was carried out with the help of the authorities. And the state has really lost a lot on this.
So far, only Pashinsky’s name has been mentioned in media reports. Do you think the number of defendants in the case will increase? Today there are at least three of them: Pashinsky, the head of the state-owned enterprise that was supposed to sell the oil products, and the owner of the group of companies that purchased the oil products at reduced prices.
It’s hard to say, let the law enforcement agencies work. I know what was stolen in total. Who stole it and how much is a question for the investigation.
Should we hope for an objective, impartial investigation and punishment of all those responsible?
What I heard yesterday from the transcripts posted by the NABU is that this has been discussed and written about for a long time, and we wrote about it, and Ukrayinska Pravda had a pretty good investigation back in 2017 or 2018. All this has been known for a long time.
I hope that the perpetrators will be punished, because such cases compromise all the positive changes that are taking place in the country. This is, in fact, piracy – people gained power and immediately used it to take something away from someone.
Author: Iryna Shevchenko
