Luxurious obliviousness: how Hetmantsev's assistant Sokur “did not notice” his roommate for 8 years

Yevhen Sokur, an assistant to MP Danylo Hetmantsev, finally mentioned his cohabitant Alina Lebedieva in his declaration filed in connection with his dismissal from the post of deputy head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, after more than 8 years of cohabitation, because of whom the NACP began monitoring his lifestyle, UNN reports.

How it all started

Earlier, during the investigation into the alleged attempted assassination attempt, Yevhen Sokur told law enforcement officers that since 2016 he had been living with a girl named Alina in an apartment at 6-D Lobanovskoho Avenue. Following a deputy appeal from 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 UNN's request, the Agency also confirmed that it is monitoring  the official's lifestyle. Kateryna Butko, the head of the Public Council at the NAPC, noted that the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is checking whether Sokur and his partner Alina lived together.

Later, it turned out that Sokur lives at with Alina Lebedieva. According to the Youcontrol system, the girl registered as a sole proprietor on August 3, 2022. The main KVED of the activity is retail sale of flowers, plants, seeds, fertilizers, pets and pet food in specialized stores. It is worth noting that Sokur was promoted to a senior position at the tax office less than three months earlier, in May 2022. In a little over a year of work during the full-scale war, Alina Lebedieva was doing 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. 

According to Serhiy Dorotych, head of the #SaveFOP movement, Sokur's stunning success may be due to another very interesting aspect: legalization of funds through her business.

NACP head Viktor Pavlushchyk said in a comment to UNN that the agency continues to monitor Yevhen Sokur's lifestyle.

Less than 9 years later

In of the declaration of 29.01.2025, Yevhen Sokur indicated that he lived with Alina Lebedieva in his apartment in Kyiv.

In addition, Sokur indicated that he also owns an apartment in the village of Tarasivka, Kyiv region, with an area of 62.9 square meters. He has also been renting a parking space in Kyiv since January 2024, but did not specify the cost.

Surprisingly, the declaration does not indicate any ownership of real estate by Alina Lebedeva.

Sokur indicated that his live-in girlfriend owned a 2008 LEXUS RX350. However, according to the declaration, Alina Lebedieva did not provide Sokur with information on when she purchased the car and for how much. However, the Youcontrol system indicates that the date of the last registration of the car is 03/13/2021.

Sokur also noted that his roommate was engaged in entrepreneurial activity, but he did not indicate her income. According to him, Alina Lebedieva did not provide him with this information, which is also strange, given that the couple has been living together since 2016.

What is even more surprising is that Alina Lebedeva has no money at all, neither in her bank accounts (she has four in different Ukrainian banks) nor in cash. Sokur, on the other hand, has 125 thousand dollars and 50 thousand hryvnias in cash. The former official has 180,154 hryvnias, 2 dollars, and 839 euros in his accounts.

Can't hide

It is possible that by concealing information about his partner's income and the funds deposited in her accounts, Sokur was trying to avoid responsibility. However, as Kateryna Butko, head of the public council at the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, explained to UNN, he will still have to provide this information to the NAPC.

Now, in the course of lifestyle monitoring, he will have to provide the NACP with all the documents, all the certificates, and so on

Butko also reminded that lying in declarations is subject to administrative or criminal liability, depending on the amount of inaccuracies in the declaration.

Recall

A criminal investigation is also underway against Sokur for a malfeasance in office. This case was opened by the State Bureau of Investigation 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 defense capability of the state. The State Bureau of Investigation informed UNN that this criminal proceeding is still under investigation.