NABU and SAPO exposed a scheme to seize 100 000 tons of “Ukrnafta” oil products. Businessman Mykhailo Kiperman was suspected

Anti-corruption authorities have uncovered a large-scale scheme to seize 100 000 tons of “Ukrnafta” petroleum products worth over UAH 2.88 billion and launder funds from their sale.

This is reported by SAPO and NABU.

According to Babelʼs sources, businessman Mykhailo Kiperman was suspected in this case.

According to the investigation, the scheme was organized in 2017-2020. The heads of the business group transferred “Ukrnafta” petroleum products to a controlled company under commission agreements. Then, part of the fuel was transferred to other related companies and sold through a network of gas stations wholesale and retail.

The money from the sale was deposited into the accounts of controlled companies, including foreign ones. To hide the ultimate owners, the participants in the scheme used a network of offshore companies in Cyprus, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis, and the British Virgin Islands.

The volume of stolen fuel amounted to almost 20% of the total volume of petroleum products that “Ukrnafta” sold through gas stations during the duration of the scheme.

Four people were reported on suspicion of large-scale property embezzlement and money laundering:

• the organizer — one of the leaders of a well-known business group that “actually controlled the oil sector of Ukraine’s economy”;
• a lower-level organizer — a shareholder of a number of controlled business groups and companies, responsible for coordinating the actions of the perpetrators and concealing criminal activity;
• Chairman of the Board and Deputy Chairman of the Board for Commercial Affairs of joint-stock companies controlled by the business group.

Another suspect — the former vice president of “Ukrnafta”, a foreigner — was sent abroad for extradition as part of international legal assistance.

NABU is also investigating the possible seizure of “Ukrnafta” property in subsequent periods, in particular after the beginning of martial law.

During the investigation, the NABU detectives discovered a leak of information about planned investigative and procedural actions. According to the investigation, this information could have been passed on to a trusted person of the organizers of the scheme.

According to the investigation, a senior SBU employee, whose unit was monitoring the proceedings, may have been involved in this. The investigation is ongoing.

• As for Mykhailo Kiperman, a business partner of Ihor Kolomoisky, this is not his first suspicion. In June 2023, BES and SBU informed Kiperman of suspicion in the case of the withdrawal of almost UAH 600 million from “Ukrtatneftegaz".
• According to the investigation, on February 24, 2022, the money was supposed to go to the real supplier of 84 000 tons of oil, but it was transferred to a European company controlled by Kiperman under a fictitious contract.
• Also in January 2024, NABU and SAPO reported on a scheme to seize electricity from “Ukrenergo” for over UAH 716 million. Mykhailo Kiperman was named as the organizer. He and other defendants were then put on the wanted list.

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