The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has declared new suspicions against the former deputy head of the Presidentʼs Office (OP), who was previously suspected of illegally enriching himself by 15.7 million hryvnias.
This is reported by the NABU press service.
The bureau does not specify the name of the suspect, but judging by the details of the case, itʼs about Andriy Smirnov.
According to the investigation, in 2019-2021, the suspect illegally received money, which he decided to launder through the construction of private houses with a total area of over 300 m² in the recreational zone of the Odesa region.
To mask such actions, he turned to the beneficiary of a company that owned land on the seashore and transferred almost 6.5 million hryvnias for the construction of facilities. The finished property, which was actually used by the top official, was initially registered as a company, and after he was notified of the suspicion in May 2024, it was reregistered as a trustee.
Detectives also established that in 2022, the top official was approached by the owner of a construction company with a bribe offer in the form of works and services worth $100 000 for the construction of one of the aforementioned houses on the coast. In return, he asked to assist in the adoption by the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine (AMCU) of a decision to cancel the results of the tender, in which a competitor won, and to ensure the victory of his company in the new tender.
According to the investigation, the top official accepted the offer, used his official position and fulfilled the obligations he had undertaken. The AMCU later made the "necessary" decision.
The suspicion has now been reported:
- former deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (2019-2024) — Part 1 of Article 368-5, Part 1 of Article 209, Part 2 of Article 209, Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
- to the owner of a construction company – Part 1 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The investigation is ongoing, and others involved in the suspectʼs illegal actions are being identified.
- Andriy Smirnov was deputy head of the Office of the President of Ukraine from September 10, 2019 to March 29, 2024. In May 2024, he was suspected of illegal enrichment of 15.7 million hryvnias.
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