Position: former deputy director of the state enterprise "Ukrtransnaftoprodukt".
Sphere of corrupt activity: petroleum products.
Region of corruption activity: all of Ukraine
Qualification: the actions are qualified under Part 1 of Article 255 and Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code.
Status: At large, because he was released on bail.
Case story: in February 2024, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported suspicions against former MP Serhiy Pashinsky and five other individuals in the seizure of the arrested petroleum products of fugitive oligarch Serhiy Kurchenko.
The NABU and SAPO do not mention the names of the defendants, however, according to media reports, it was about Pashynsky, businessman Serhiy Tyshchenko, and other individuals (in particular, Oleksandr Horbunov).
On February 12, 2024, under the procedural guidance of SAPO prosecutors, NABU detectives reported suspicion to 6 members of a criminal organization who seized petroleum products for a total amount of UAH 967 million, arrested in the case of the owner of the so-called group of companies "Eastern European Fuel and Energy Company" (SEPEC), who was part of a criminal organization headed by the former President of Ukraine
According to the investigation, in 2014, the court seized 97,000 tons of petroleum products imported into Ukraine in violation of the law. An oil entrepreneur and a top official of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine decided to seize them. They created a criminal organization (CO) and achieved the transfer of petroleum products to a state-owned enterprise, in which they appointed controlled individuals to management positions.
Later, the state-owned enterprise sold the seized raw materials at undervalued prices to a company controlled by the organizer of the scheme. At the same time, the funds that this company paid only partially were transferred to the accounts of other controlled business entities, and the state budget did not receive a single hryvnia. The total amount of losses is UAH 967 million.
The suspicion was reported to: - former acting head of the Presidential Administration, People's Deputy of Ukraine, head of one of the committees of the Verkhovna Rada, co-organizer of the ZO; - entrepreneur, co-organizer of the ZO; - former director of a state enterprise; - former deputy director of a state enterprise; - manager of a state enterprise; - head of a private company.
Subsequently, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court took former People's Deputy Serhiy Pashinsky into custody. As an alternative, he was set a bail of UAH 272.52 million. These funds were paid and the politician was released from custody. Pashinsky was also given the following obligations: to appear upon every demand; to report any change in his place of residence and place of work; not to leave the city of Kyiv and the Kyiv region without permission; to refrain from communicating with other suspects and witnesses; to hand over his foreign passports for safekeeping.
Pashinsky's lawyer asked the court to grant permission for his client to temporarily travel abroad. He noted that the former People's Deputy was invited to participate in negotiations on opportunities for industrial cooperation in the field of specialized vehicles, within the framework of which the Conference of German Defense Attachés is scheduled to take place in Berlin on April 7-10, 2025.
To grant permission to the suspect (Pashynskyi – ed.) to travel abroad to the Federal Republic of Germany from April 5 to April 12, 2025 inclusive, to participate in the Conference of German Defense Attachés. To return (Pashynskyi – ed.) the passport of a citizen of Ukraine for travel abroad to the Central Interregional Directorate of the State Migration Service in Kyiv and Kyiv Region
Also on February 15, 2024, the court arrested Gorbunov with an alternative of UAH 9.08 million. Later, these funds were paid for him and the suspect was released from custody. On January 14, 2025, the Supreme Court of Criminal Appeals reduced the bail amount to UAH 5 million. Gorbunov is obliged to: report a change in his place of residence and/or work; refrain from communicating with a number of persons regarding the circumstances set forth in the report of suspicion and hand over his foreign passports.
Later, the High Anti-Corruption Court temporarily allowed former MP Serhiy Pashinsky to travel to the Czech Republic from May 26 to June 3.
The petition is granted. To grant permission to the suspect (Pashynskyi – ed.) in criminal proceedings to travel abroad to the Czech Republic from May 26, 2025 to June 3, 2025 inclusive to participate in the International Defense Exhibition Event IDET-2025. To return to the Central Interregional Directorate of the State Migration Service in Kyiv and Kyiv Region (Pashynskyi – ed.) the passport of a citizen of Ukraine for travel abroad
In July 2025, the High Anti-Corruption Court extended the term of office of former MP Serhiy Pashynskyi until September 11. NABU and SAPO suspect him of misappropriating nationalized oil products of oligarch Serhiy Kurchenko worth approximately UAH 817 million.
The motion is granted. To extend for the duration of the resolution the term of the obligations imposed on the suspect (Pashynskyi – ed.) in connection with the application of a preventive measure in the form of bail to him. The term of the resolution is two months, until September 11, 2025 inclusive, but within the term of the pre-trial investigation
In September 2025, it became known that the High Anti-Corruption Court reduced the bail amount set as a preventive measure for former MP Serhiy Pashynskyi from UAH 272.52 to UAH 192.52 million. NABU and SAPO suspect him of appropriating nationalized oil products of oligarch Serhiy Kurchenko worth approximately UAH 817 million.
The defense attorney's motion to change the preventive measure is partially granted. The preventive measure in the form of a bail in the amount of UAH 272,520,000, which was applied by the decision of the investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court dated February 26, 2024, is to be changed in terms of the amount of the bail, namely, to reduce the amount of bail for the suspect (Pashynskyi - ed.), sufficient to ensure the performance of his duties, to UAH 192,520,064
At the end of September 2025, the High Anti-Corruption Court extended the term of office of former MP Serhiy Pashynskyi until November 10.
To extend the term of the obligations imposed on the suspect (Pashynskyi) in connection with the application of a preventive measure in the form of bail to him for the term of the resolution. The term of the resolution is two months, until November 10, 2025 inclusive, but within the term of the pre-trial investigation
In addition, in November 2025, the High Anti-Corruption Court extended until January 6, 2026 the term of office of the former Deputy Director of the state enterprise "Ukrtransnaftoprodukt" Oleksandr Horbunov in the case of former MP Serhiy Pashynskyi.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: former People's Deputy of Ukraine Serhiy Pashinsky, his "business partner" Serhiy Tyshchenko, and other participants in the corruption scheme.
Assets: Gorbunov's only publicly available declaration is the one for 2016. In it, he noted that he does not have his own home, but his place of registration is in a residential building in Zhytomyr. At the same time, his children own an apartment in Kyiv, and his wife owns two more apartments.
In addition, his wife declared a Mercedes-Benz ML 250.
In 2016, Gorbunov's income was UAH 143,028, and his wife's was UAH 51,916.
The former official declared $100,000 and €100,000 in cash; his wife declared UAH 2,500,000.
Persons who should have reacted: to the dealings of Pashynsky and the participants in the corruption scheme should have paid attention to:
- Acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine Oleh Makhnitsky (February 24, 2014 - June 18, 2014);
- Prosecutor General of Ukraine Vitaliy Yarema (June 19, 2014 - February 10, 2015);
- Prosecutor General of Ukraine Viktor Shokin (February 10, 2015 - April 3, 2016);
- Acting Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Sevruk (April 3, 2016 - May 12, 2016);
- Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko (May 12, 2016 - August 29, 2019).
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/2e9e643b-362e-4fc1-be0e-436ba3de7710