The former head of the State Migration Service was informed of suspicion of embezzlement of over 88 million hryvnias from the state budget

The former head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine (SMSU) was informed of suspicion of embezzlement of over 88 million hryvnias from the state budget.

This was reported in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

The law enforcement officers do not name the suspect, however, Babel sources in the law enforcement agencies say that the former head of the State Migration Service Maksym Sokolyuk received the suspicion.

According to the investigation, in 2015 the migration service received a building in the center of Kyiv from the state. Its central office was supposed to be there.

A businessman, a citizen of Russia, who for a long time was in "friendly" relations with representatives of the SMSU and other officials, organized a scheme to embezzle budget funds using people in the migration service.

As established by NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAP), the businessman involved the ex-head of the SMSU, his deputy and the head of the economic department of the migration service in his scheme. They helped conclude contracts for project and construction works in the office of the migration service. They artificially limited the participation of other companies in the competition.

For several years, the criminal group seized budget funds, overestimating the cost of completed works, drawing up "empty acts" and duplicating works. As a result, the reconstruction of the building of the central office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs was never completed, computer complexes with the appropriate software exist only on paper, and the companies involved in the reconstruction stopped their work.

The perpetrators caused more than 88 million hryvnias in losses to the budget with their scheme.

• In September 2023, the suspicion was reported to the former deputy head and head of the economic department of the DMS, as well as to the businessman who is the organizer of the scheme.
• In addition, the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine found out about the conspiracy of three companies controlled by the businessman, and managed to fine them almost 3.5 million hryvnias.