NABU to check information on violations of the law by Hetmantsev and Sokur, reported by former head of Khmelnytsky tax office

During the investigation, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine will take into account information about violations of the law by the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy Danylo Hetmantsev and the acting deputy head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine Yevhen Sokur, as told in an interview  with UNN by the former head of the Khmelnytsky region tax office Iryna Zlenko.

Context

In her interview , Iryna Zlenko said that Danylo Hetmantsev personally manages the tax service, including holding meetings with employees instead of acting head of the State Tax Service Tetiana Kiriyenko, and determines the body's personnel policy. According to the former head of the Khmelnytskyi tax office, Danylo Hetmantsev has created and runs an organized criminal group in the tax office. His former assistant, Yevhen Sokur, helps him in this. UNN asked the NABU whether law enforcement officers plan to open criminal proceedings based on Iryna Zlenko's statements.

“The task of the National Bureau is to counteract criminal corruption offenses committed by senior officials authorized to perform state or local government functions and pose a threat to national security. The information provided in the appeal will be taken into account and used by the National Bureau's detectives in the course of performing their duties as defined by the law,” the NABU said in its response.

Recall

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 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 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 with Alina Lebedieva. According to the Youcontrol system, Alina Lebedieva registered as a sole proprietor on August 3, 2022. The main KVED of 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.

In addition, criminal proceedings are being investigated against Sokur for an official crime. 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.