Position: Deputy of the Cherkasy Regional Council from the "For the Future" party.
Sphere of corruption: land issues.
Region of corruption activity: Cherkasy region.
Qualification: actions are qualified under Part 1 of Article 368-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: at large.
Case story: in April 2025, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office reported suspicions of two co-founders of a private company and a deputy of the Cherkasy Regional Council in providing illegal benefits for issuing land valuation reports.
According to media reports, the case involved co-owners of Binom-Group LLC, Vitaliy Zaluzhny and Serhiy Fil, who had already received suspicions in the land case in Mukachevo, Zakarpattia Oblast, as well as Roman Pokholchuk, a deputy of the Cherkasy Regional Council from the For the Future party.
Under the procedural guidance of the SAPO prosecutor, NABU detectives exposed and stopped a scheme to receive illegal benefits for preparing reports on expert monetary valuation of land and positive reviews of such reports. As of today, the following were reported on suspicion: the co-founder of the company (appraiser) of committing a crime under Part 4 of Article 368-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; the co-founder of the company – under Part 1 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine; the deputy of the regional council – under Part 1 of Article 368-4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
According to the investigation, in 2023, one of the co-founders of a land valuation company demanded a monetary reward from a deputy of the Cherkasy Regional Council for determining an uninflated valuation of the desired plot. In return, if the improper benefit was not provided, the appraiser threatened to make a significantly overstated valuation.
The deputy did not contact law enforcement agencies, but agreed to the specified requirement and transferred the required amount to the bank account of another co-founder of the company. Subsequently, the co-founder gave one half of these funds to his partner, and disposed of the other half at his own discretion. After receiving the illegal benefit, the company prepared a report on the expert monetary valuation of the land and provided a positive review of it.
In early August 2025, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office sent an indictment to the court against Roman Pokholchuk, a deputy of the Cherkasy Regional Council from the "For the Future" party, and co-owners of Binom-Group LLC Vitaliy Zaluzhny and Serhiy Fil in a bribery case.
The SAPO prosecutor, based on the materials of the NABU pre-trial investigation, sent an indictment to the court against two co-founders of the company, one of whom is an appraiser, who were found to have received illegal benefits for preparing reports on the expert monetary valuation of land and a positive review of them, as well as a deputy of the regional council.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes: co-owners of Binom-Group LLC Vitaliy Zaluzhny and Serhiy Fil.
Assets: in the declaration for 2024, Pokholchuk indicated that he owns a residential building and a land plot in Uman, and also has the right to free use of an apartment in Uman.
In addition, Pokholchuk declared a premium car - a Mercedes-Benz C 220 worth 280,000 UAH.
The deputy's income for the same year was UAH 108,846, and he did not declare any monetary assets.
Persons who should have reacted: in the case of Pokholchuk, law enforcement agencies reacted in a timely manner.
Scandals: Before the corruption scheme, he was not seen as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/918dc760-77e3-4852-928c-3b12adbc8041