“Not only Ukrtatnafta was mocked": former head of Khmelnytskyi Oblast Tax Service on the case against acting deputy head of the State Tax Service Sokur

The head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy, Danylo Hetmantsev, and his right-hand man in the tax service, acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, Yevhen Sokur, acted illegally not only in relation to Ukrtatnafta but also to other companies. Iryna Zlenko, the former head of the Khmelnytsky Oblast Tax Service, told this in an interview with UNN.

Context

A criminal investigation is being conducted 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.

"He and Hetmantsev did not only mock Ukrtatnafta, there are at least a few more examples. Now almost all of their criminal actions have been canceled by the courts at various levels. Businesses are suffering huge losses because of these cronies. And the Ukrainian budget does not receive millions in taxes. During a large-scale invasion, this is called looting, and those who do this to the country are looters. They must be held accountable for the damage they cause to both business and the state as a whole," emphasized Iryna Zlenko.

She also noted that Hetmantsev is currently the head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine.

"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," Iryna Zlenko said.

Add

According to Iryna Zlenko, the former head of the Khmelnytsky tax office, Hetmantsev, with the help of his former assistant and now acting deputy head of the State Tax Service, Yevhen Sokur, destroyed all professionals in the tax service who might refuse to comply with criminal orders.

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.