Court allows in-absentia probe into ex-MP Vecherko

The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court has allowed an in absentia investigation into former MP Volodymyr Vecherko , whom the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) suspect of organizing abuses that led to losses of over 12 million hryvnias.

On April 14, investigative judge Volodymyr Voronko of the Supreme Administrative Court refused to grant permission for an in absentia investigation into Vecherko. The prosecutor of the Supreme Administrative Court appealed this decision.

The prosecutor's appeal shall be granted. The decision of the investigating judge of the Higher Criminal Court of Criminal Appeals dated 14.04.2025 on the refusal to grant the motion to conduct a special pre-trial investigation shall be annulled. A new decision shall be issued, whereby the motion for permission to conduct a special pre-trial investigation shall be granted. A permission to conduct a special pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings against Vecherko shall be granted.

As a reminder, Volodymyr Vecherko is a suspect in the EBK database.

Recall, NABU and SAPO previously reported suspicions to former Deputy Minister of Energy Maksym Nemchynov and other officials. According to the investigation, at the end of July 2022, due to military operations, the coal market in Ukraine was limited. To ensure the stable passage of the 2022/2023 heating season, the Cabinet of Ministers obliged the state enterprise "Ukrvugilya" to supply energy to certain electricity producers, in particular, the state PJSC "Centrenergo".

However, according to the investigation, the beneficiary of a private company that had a contract with Ukrvuhilya, in collusion with the former deputy minister of energy, persuaded the director of the state-owned enterprise to sell coal to his company, despite the existing debt to the state of over 50 million hryvnias. As a result, Ukrvuhilya supplied the private company with almost 24 thousand tons of raw materials, which it resold for a profit of almost 20 million hryvnias.

At the same time, PJSC "Centrenergo" received 12.5 thousand tons of coal short and was forced to buy it back in October 2022 at a significantly higher price, overpaying almost 12 million hryvnias.