Acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service Sokur should be removed from office, as he can influence the course of the investigation into the case against him - MP

Acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine Yevhen Sokur, who is facing criminal proceedings for obstructing the supply of fuel to the army during the war, should be removed from office because he may influence the course of the investigation. This opinion was expressed by MP Mykhailo Tsymbalyuk in an exclusive commentary to UNN.

Earlier UNN reported that criminal proceedings were opened 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 on November 4, 2022, under part. 3 of Art. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the fact of abuse of office by the acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, who on October 26, 2022, issued an order to revoke the license of PJSC Ukrtatnafta for the production of fuel. Such actions of Sokur are likely to have caused serious consequences for the company and 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.

"There are two scenarios - the first is when there is a court decision to remove him from office, and the second is when the Ministry of Finance or the State Tax Service should remove him. If the accusations are so serious, it suggests that, being in such a high position, he can influence the course of the pre-trial investigation. That is why I believe that the top management should have drawn conclusions and reacted," said Tsymbalyuk.

According to him, during the martial law, the authorities should respond more harshly to such serious accusations of obstructing aid to the military. 

Tsymbalyuk added that the investigation should establish whether Sokur's actions were intentional or whether he illegally revoked Ukrtatnafta's license due to lack of qualifications.

"Although 31 years is the age when one should not only make state decisions but also take responsibility for them. Therefore, I believe that if his guilt is proven, there should be a very tough decision," the MP emphasized.

At the same time, according to Tsymbalyuk, the Security Service of Ukraine should check Sokur's actions for treason. 

"I think that law enforcement agencies, and this is the SBU's qualification, when there are such suspicions, they definitely carry out their operational and investigative activities," he said.

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.

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.