Hetmantsev destroyed all professionals in the tax service with Sokur's hands - former head of Khmelnytsky region tax service

The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, with the help of his former assistant and now acting deputy head of the State Tax Service, Yevhen Sokur, has eliminated all professionals in the tax service who could refuse to carry out criminal orders. Iryna Zlenko, the former head of the Khmelnytsky tax service, told this in an interview with UNN . 

“Hetmantsev, with the hands of Sokur and Kiriyenko, destroyed almost all professionals who understood what responsibility they would have for the execution of criminal orders. They interfered with him...”, - said Zlenko.

According to her, employees currently working in the State Tax Service see impunity for bribe-takers - proteges of Hetmantsev. 

“As I have already said, Hetmantsev, not (acting head of the State Tax Service - ed.) Tetyana Kiriyenko, is in charge of the tax service. I even have video evidence that he holds conference calls. I was personally present at these meetings. And he behaved so badly with the tax officers, that I was simply offended, as a tax officer,” Zlenko said.

According to her, Hetmantsev joins meetings at the State Tax Service directly from the committee. 

“Back when I was working in the tax office, I know for sure that the heads of departments sent him all the information electronically. At meetings, he could afford phrases like: “What are you doing there? Fire him. Fire this one. Remove this. This one needs to be reviewed.”  I heard this with my own ears and saw it with my own eyes. This behavior of Hetmantsev, this attitude towards tax officials, has led to the fact that the tax service is now completely destroyed,” Zlenko said.

Add

Earlier, experts interviewed by UNN pointed out that the head of the Rada's tax committee, Danylo Hetmantsev, is the supervisor of the tax service. He influences the decisions made by the tax authorities. In particular, Hetmantsev is assisted by Acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service Yevhen Sokur, who used to be an assistant to the MP.

Recall

Sokur entered probably unreliable datain his declaration for 2023. In particular, he did not indicate his cohabitant Alina Lebedieva in the document. Following a deputy appeal by Nina Yuzhanina, a member of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, the NACP launched an inspection of Yevhen Sokur. In response to a request from UNN, the Agency also confirmed that they are monitoring  the official's lifestyle. Kateryna Butko, head of the Public Council at the NACP, noted that the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is checking whether Sokur and his cohabitant Alina Lebedevalived together. She registered her sole proprietorship on August 3, 2022, less than three months after Sokur's appointment, which, according to media reports, was lobbied by Hetmantsev. In a little over a year of work during the full-scale war, Alina Lebedieva's business was going so well that on her birthday, November 1, 2023, she announced the opening of a flower boutique in the heart of the capital - in the Leonardo business center. 

A criminal investigation is also underway against Sokur for a malfeasance in office. This case was opened by the SBI on November 4, 2022, under Part 3 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the fact of abuse of office by Sokur, who signed an order on October 26, 2022, to revoke Ukrtatnafta's license for fuel production. Such actions of the official, according to the investigation, 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 the state's defense capability. The State Bureau of Investigation informed UNN that this criminal proceeding is still under investigation.