There is a strange trend in Ukraine: officials who harm defense capabilities continue to work in their positions, such as Danylo Hetmantsev, chairman of the Rada's tax committee, and Yevhen Sokur, acting deputy head of the State Tax Service. President Volodymyr Zelenskyi should change this trend so that such officials are removed from office and brought to justice. This opinion was expressed in an exclusive commentary to UNN by Serhiy Dorotych, head of the #SaveFOP Movement.
Earlier, UNN reported that criminal proceedings were opened on November 4, 2022 against the protégé and right-hand man of the Chairman of the Tax Committee of the Rada Danylo Hetmantsev - Acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service Yevhen Sokur under Part 3 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The case was opened on the fact of abuse of power by Sokur, who on October 26, 2022, issued an order to revoke the license of PJSC Ukrtatnafta for the production of fuel. His actions allegedly caused severe consequences for the company, as well as for the state in the form of the inability to fulfill the mobilization tasks of the Ministry of Defense for the production and supply of petroleum products for the needs of defense and defense capability of the state.
The Prosecutor General's Office told UNN that the Main Investigation Department of the State Bureau of Investigation is currently investigating [6] the case.
"I believe that there is a very strange trend that people who cause enormous damage to the country's defense capability for some reason remain in power and continue their policy - the policy of a saboteur. These are the notorious Hetmantsev, employees of tax and audit agencies of various kinds, who, following journalists' investigations, only put spokes in the wheels of both the defense industry and the army," Dorotych said.
In his opinion, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy should instruct that prompt measures be taken to at least remove such officials and bring them to justice.
"These extremely horrific cases of sabotage and sometimes sabotage not only damage defense capabilities, they undermine public confidence and belief in victory, in the possibility of the future existence of the state of Ukraine. And this seems to me to be the worst thing. Because these facts become known to the public, and then we see cases of people being packed into the streets (by TCC employees - ed.) because people do not want to go to the army, which does not have the basic necessities, does not have fuel to fill up a truck. I'm not talking about drones. That's why it's both sad and scary at the same time," Dorotych said.
He is convinced that the Security Service of Ukraine should investigate Sokur's activities for treason.
"In general, I believe that all civil servants should be tested for treason and work with the special services of enemy states, this is an extremely necessary measure... In general, the entire apparatus that is currently making state decisions should be tested. And the SBU should do this," Dorotych added.
Add
The case against Yevhen Sokur was opened because of two identical orders dated October 26, 2022, which he issued to revoke the license of PJSC Ukrtatnafta. The documents had an identical number and date, but the grounds for license revocation were different. In one, the company allegedly refused to allow the tax authorities to conduct an audit without legal grounds. The second was the failure to pay the next license fee within 30 days of the license suspension. At the same time, only one Sokur's order related to a tax audit is published on the tax authority's website.
The company appealed Sokur's decision in court. The courts of first, appellate and cassation instances recognized that the tax audit was conducted in violation of the law and that Ukrtatnafta had every right to prevent the STS representatives from entering its territory. As a result, the orders of the State Tax Service of Ukraine to revoke Ukrtatnafta's license for fuel production, valid from 01.07.2019 to 01.07.2024, were also declared illegal. The courts ordered the STS to cancel them.
MPs and lawyers interviewed by UNN, emphasize that the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine should remove Sokur from office, because, given his position, he can influence the course of the investigation.
Recall
After law enforcement opened criminal proceedings against Sokur, he was allegedly assassinated on August 17, 2023. Earlier, we told you that there are many questions about the "assassination attempt" case, and it seems that it was not an order, but rather a staging. After all, the information that law enforcement officers prevented an assassination attempt on the acting deputy head of the tax service diverted public attention from the criminal case against him.