One of the Heads of the State Tax Service Sokur and the disruption of the army's fuel supply: will the SBU intervene in the Ukrtatnafta case?

The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating whether the revocation of Ukrtatnafta's license by Acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service Yevhen Sokur in 2022 was illegal. According to the investigation, this decision had serious consequences for both the company and the state. In particular, it is impossible to fulfill the mobilization tasks of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine for the production and supply of petroleum products for defense needs. However, it is surprising that the Security Service of Ukraine has not yet become interested in this case, UNN writes.

“Ukrtatnafta plays a key role in providing the state with fuel, in particular for the army. During a full-scale war, petroleum products are a critical resource for combat missions, logistics and maintaining the country's defense capability. Any actions that limit the ability of such an enterprise to perform its functions can have serious consequences for national security.

Earlier it became known that on November 4, 2022, the State Bureau of Investigation opened criminal proceedings  against Sokur under Part 3 of Article 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, on the fact of Sokur's abuse of power. On October 26, 2022, he signed an order to revoke Ukrtatnafta's license to produce fuel. Such actions of the official, according to the investigation, “caused serious consequences for the company, as well as for 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 responded to UNN's request by stating that the criminal proceedings are still under investigation.

The facts of the case suggest that the decision to revoke the license may have been deliberate and aimed at undermining Ukraine's defense capabilities. This falls within the competence of the Security Service of Ukraine, which investigates crimes that threaten national security, including sabotage and treason.

The SBU should take a closer look at the criminal proceedings against Sokur, because if he made the decision to disrupt the supply of fuel to the army, it may have signs of sabotage.

In addition, the special service should investigate whether there are signs of cooperation with hostile forces. Here, perhaps, law enforcement should remind law enforcement officers that Sokur is a former assistant and, according to media reports, the right-hand man of Danylo Hetmantsev, the head of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Finance, Taxation and Customs Policy. The latter is known, among other things, for having served faithfully for 8 years as a traitor and agent of the Russian FSB, Volodymyr Sivkovych, when he was an MP.

According to Oleksandr Babikov, the former first deputy head of the SBI, the legislation also allows the prosecutor's office to determine the investigative unit that can, in its opinion, carry out the most effective and objective investigation of a criminal case.

According to him, law enforcement officers should find out what Sokur's goal was.

“It would be interesting to find out first what confirms the existence of such a goal. Did it take place... well, you can say anything you want, but was that really the goal, or was it the goal of ensuring really effective activity? Was the damage really done? Would something have changed?” Babikov said in an exclusive commentary to UNN.

In addition, in his opinion, it is necessary to find out whether there are certain political factors in this criminal proceeding that are holding back the investigation in a certain way. After all, the case was opened a long time ago and there are no known developments in the investigation.

“In order to say whether the pre-trial investigation is effective or ineffective, it is necessary to familiarize ourselves, at a minimum, with the list of investigative actions taken, such as examinations. That is, it is necessary to understand, first, the amount of work done and whether it was  done efficiently and effectively,” Babikov said.

Unfortunately, the situation now looks like the investigation into the case is being artificially slowed down thanks to Sokur's political connections.

This case raises the important issue of the responsibility of officials for their decisions in wartime. It is also a test for state agencies, including the SBU, to see if they can effectively respond to potential threats to national security. If not properly investigated, it will set a dangerous precedent for similar decisions in the future.

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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 conducting monitoringof 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 UNN found that in 2022 Yevhen Sokur declared income from the sale of securities in the amount of UAH 2.6 million, but these funds were not reflected in his declaration for 2023. This may indicate a violation of the law requiring notification of significant changes in property status. According to Article 52 of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention of Corruption,” the declarant is obliged to report such changes within 10 days. The NACP said it would check this fact as part of the monitoring of the official's lifestyle.