He faces life imprisonment: SBI submits case of MP Shevchenko to court

3 November 11:27

Law enforcement agencies have completed a pre-trial investigation into the case of a current Ukrainian MP suspected of high treason and fraud on a large scale. This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) and the Office of the Prosecutor General, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports

The indictment has already been submitted to the court.

The SBI does not name the name, but the circumstances of the case indicate that it is Yevhen Shenchenko.

What the investigation found

Law enforcement officers have documented three episodes of crimes, two of which relate to high treason, and the third to fraudulent misappropriation of funds from a private enterprise.

According to the SBI, the MP maintained contacts with representatives of the Belarusian Embassy, visited the country several times in 2020-2022, and met with Belarusian businessmen, politicians, and self-proclaimed President Alexander Lukashenko.

During these meetings, he spread disinformation about the “absence of a threat of attack from the territory of Belarus,” which, according to the investigation, created a false sense of security in society.

Pro-Russian statements and cooperation with propagandists

The investigation also found that the MP actively spread Russian narratives through his own media channels, interviews with pro-Russian bloggers and “experts.”

These materials were subsequently published on Russian propaganda resources, creating the impression that this was the position of the Ukrainian authorities.

Even after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he did not stop his activities that undermined statehood, and in public speeches he claimed the “collapse of the Ukrainian state”, the loss of territories and called for negotiations with Russia “on any terms”.

How the MP defrauded business

A separate episode of the case concerns a fraud of UAH 14.5 million.

The investigation found that the MP used his connections in Belarus to pull off a fraudulent deal with the supply of mineral fertilizers. A Ukrainian company paid for the goods, but the delivery was delayed.

The politician convinced the businessmen that they allegedly “lacked permits” for the transportation of the cargo, although he knew for sure that the documents were available. Later, he told the suppliers false information about the alleged refusal of the Belarusian Railways to transport the products.

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In this way, he created an artificial obstacle in fulfilling the terms of the contract and offered to “resolve the issue” by imposing a legal services agreement with an individual entrepreneur – his own son.

The MP used the money to buy three premium cars – a Porsche Macan, a BMW X5M (2021) and a Mercedes-Benz AMG (2022) – which he registered in the names of fictitious persons. The total customs value of the cars exceeds 250 thousand euros.

What is the MP accused of?

Based on the results of the investigation, the MP is charged with

high treason (Part 1 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
high treason committed under martial law (Part 2 of Article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine);
fraud committed by prior conspiracy by a group of persons on a particularly large scale (Article 190(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

The sanctions of these articles provide for punishment up to life imprisonment with confiscation of property.

The suspect is currently in a pre-trial detention center.