Expert: Zerkal received UAH 7.8 million in compensation after dismissal from Naftogaz

18 October 2024 10:16

Lana Zerkal, a former advisor to the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine, received more than UAH 18 million over a year and a half of her work at the state-owned company, almost half of which was paid as severance pay on the day of her dismissal. This was reported by the head of the Union of Consumers of Public Utilities and an expert in the field of housing and communal services Oleh Popenko and a military man and political scientist Kyrylo Sazonov, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"

In particular, Sazonov drew attention to media reports about payments to the management of state-owned companies. According to him, not only did Kudrytskyi receive a bonus of UAH 17 million on the day of his dismissal, but Lana Zerkal also received large bonuses while working at Naftogaz in 2021.

“A source I tend to trust said that Kudrytskyi’s associate, Lana Zerkal, also received a hefty bonus while working at Naftogaz,” Sazonov wrote.

Lana Zerkal was appointed as an advisor to the then head of Naftogaz, Andriy Kobolyev, in January 2020. Her official salary as an advisor was UAH 650 thousand per month, or $25 thousand at the then exchange rate.

“To put it mildly, this is not a healthy situation when the state pays 650 thousand per month to an adviser to the head of a subsidised state-owned company,” Sazonov added.

“Zerkal was Kobolyev’s advisor until May 2021. For 16 full months of her work as an adviser, she received UAH 10.4 million. On the day of her dismissal, 26 May 2021, she was awarded a severance payment of 12 monthly salaries, i.e. UAH 7.8 million. This is about $300,000 at the then exchange rate,” Popenko said.

In total, 14 months of work at the state-owned company brought Zerkal UAH 18 million, or about $730 thousand at the then exchange rate.

[Kommersant] is trying to verify this information. "Komersant Ukrainian" has not found Zerkal’s declaration for this period.

“This is all the talk about reforms, corporate reform, supervisory boards, etc. Under the noise of these conversations, they are stupidly 3.14*ing our money, telling us that we need to raise tariffs to European levels,” Popenko said.

Andriy Kobolyev himself is currently under investigation on suspicion of embezzling about UAH 250 million from a state-owned company in the form of a bonus he paid himself. The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine imposed a pre-trial restraint on Kobolyev and ordered him to wear an electronic bracelet.

After leaving Naftogaz, Zerkal briefly worked as an advisor at the Ministry of Energy on a pro bono basis, after which she moved to a paid job at another state-owned company, NPC Ukrenergo.

naftogaz of Ukraine, like Ukrenergo, is 100% owned by the state.

Остафійчук Ярослав

Editor