Luxury cars of suspects in Sennichenko case seized in Austria
10 December 2024 13:55
Austrian law enforcement agencies have seized premium cars used abroad by members of a criminal group, which, according to Ukrainian investigators, was headed by Dmytro Sennychenko, the former head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine. This was reported by
“At the request of the SAPO prosecutor, the head of the joint investigation team, in pursuance of the decision of the High Anti-Corruption Court, Austrian law enforcement agencies seized and confiscated the property,” the report says.
Law enforcement officers illustrated the message with photos of three evacuated Mercedes cars (S-Class, V-Class and GLS-Class).
Earlier, within the framework of the same joint investigation team, French law enforcement officers seized the suspects’ real estate worth almost 6.5 million euros.
As reported by
According to the NABU, the activities of the “criminal organization” headed by the former SPFU chairman resulted in more than UAH 700 million in losses to the state, and the exposure “became one of the most high-profile in the history of anti-corruption bodies.”
Its members are also suspected of legalizing the proceeds of crime worth more than UAH 10 billion.
The case involves the embezzlement of Ukrainian industrial giants Odesa Port Plant and the United Mining and Chemical Company.
Sennichenko is believed to be the organizer of a criminal group that withdrew money from the OPP and UMCC in 2019-2021. In total, the investigation suspects ten people.
Currently, the suspects (positions at the time of the crime) are
- the head of the State Property Fund of Ukraine (head of the organization, organizer);
- a person close to the head of the SPFU (co-organizer);
- first Deputy Head of the SPFU in 2021;
- advisor to the Head of the SPFU;
- two acting directors of Odesa Port Plant JSC (in different periods);
- acting head of JSC United Mining and Chemical Company;
- two owners of the LLC that won the auction for Odesa Port Plant JSC;
- one individual – an accomplice in the crime.
They are charged with creating a criminal organization (Article 255 of the Criminal Code), misappropriation of property (Article 191 of the Criminal Code), abuse of power (Article 364 of the Criminal Code) and legalization of property (Article 209 of the Criminal Code). The maximum sanction under these articles is 13 years in prison.
In May 2024, the HACC arrested Sennichenko in absentia in the case of embezzlement of state-owned companies.
What is known about Sennichenko’s case
on March 22, 2023, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau exposed a criminal group headed by former Head of the State Property Fund Dmytro Sennychenko. The criminals illegally seized over UAH 500 million of state-owned enterprises’ funds.
Sennichenko and his nine accomplices were served with a notice of suspicion.
It should be noted that in April 2023, Dmytro Sennichenko was put on the wanted list. Initially, he was suspected of creating a criminal organization and embezzling more than UAH 500 million from Odesa Port Plant JSC and United Mining and Chemical Company JSC.
As you know, Sennichenko has been the head of the SPFU since September 19, 2019, and he wrote a letter of resignation in November 2021. The Verkhovna Rada accepted his resignation only in February 2022.
According to media reports, after his dismissal, Sennichenko moved to Spain, and a number of other defendants in the case live in Austria.
