Position: employee of the Ministry of Justice.
Sphere of corrupt activity: public administration.
Region of corruption activity: Kyiv.
Qualification: Part 2 of Article 15, Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: at large.
Case story: In August 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation detained an employee of the Ministry of Justice and her accomplice, who were trying to fraudulently seize money from an agricultural enterprise. As investigators established, in June of this year, the chief specialist of one of the departments of the Ministry of Justice, through deception and abuse of trust, seized $2,600 from the head of one of the farms. For this money, she was allegedly supposed to postpone the date of consideration of his complaint to the Office for Combating Raids and contribute to a positive outcome of its consideration.
Later, the suspect had the intention to seize his funds again, totaling about $120,000, allegedly for entering information about the right to use agricultural land plots into the real estate register. For this purpose, the official involved her acquaintance, a citizen of another state, who called himself an “influential official” of the same ministry and was supposed to act as a guarantor of the fulfillment of promises.
On August 1, 2024, the accomplices received the first tranche of the bribe in the amount of $30,000 and informed the applicant that in order to resolve the issue positively, she had two days to transfer the remaining funds. At the same time, law enforcement officials noted, the official boasted of influential acquaintances with law enforcement officials.
The suspect and her accomplice were detained after receiving the money. They were charged with attempted appropriation of someone else's property with prior conspiracy by a group of persons, under martial law on a particularly large scale (Part 2 of Article 15, Part 5 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The accomplices face up to 12 years in prison. Law enforcement officers filed a petition with the court to choose a preventive measure for them in the form of detention with the alternative of posting a bail of 60 thousand dollars each. Law enforcement officers do not indicate the name of the suspect, but according to "Ukrainian Pravda", it is about Kristina Nalbandyan.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: name of accomplice unknown.
Assets: In 2024, Nalbandyan declared an apartment with an area of 59.9 m² in the city of Kyiv, purchased on 17.11.2016, which belongs to Kristina Nalbandyan on the right of private ownership (100%). Nalbandyan declared a 2014 Toyota Camry passenger car, purchased on 14.10.2022 at a cost of 120,000 UAH, which belongs to Kristina Nalbandyan on the right of private ownership.
She also declared the salary (cash benefits) in the amount of UAH 328,511 received by Kristina Nalbandyan from the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, as well as social benefits, including IDP benefits, in the amount of UAH 20,926 received by Kristina Nalbandyan from the Kyiv City Employment Center.
Persons who should have reacted: in the case of Nalbandyan, law enforcement officers reacted in a timely manner.
Scandals: There is no information in open sources about other scandals in which Nalbandian would appear.
Sources:
https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2024/08/02/7468620/
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/1a5f398d-bc89-4339-b949-00d6b2fb6305