Position: former head of the department of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food.
Sphere of corrupt activity: state property.
Region of corruption activity: Kyiv and Kharkiv region.
Qualification: Polishchuk's actions were qualified under part 4 of Art. 368 (acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an illegal benefit by an official) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Status: at large.
The plot of the case: on August 3, 2016, Security Service employees detained the head of one of the departments of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food in Kyiv on suspicion of bribery. According to the mass media, it was about Olena Polishchuk.
According to the indictment, for a $150,000 bribe, she had to coordinate the documentation and candidacies of the organizer of the auction for the sale of property of the bankrupt state specialized enterprise "Oberig" in the Kharkiv region.
In November 2015, the natural person-entrepreneur learned about the sale of the property complex of DSP "Oberig" in connection with bankruptcy.
On this occasion, the entrepreneur met with the director of the "Oberig" DSP, who informed that the main problem is obtaining a permit for the alienation of property from the Ministry of Agrarian Policy. On December 14, 2015, the entrepreneur and the head of the state-owned enterprise met with the head of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, who informed that no permission for the alienation of property is required, but only the liquidation mass of the enterprise needs to be agreed with the ministry.
From mid-December 2015 until April 2016, active actions regarding the acquisition of the Oberig DSP were suspended. The official reason is the change of the arbitration manager of the "Oberig" DSP and the leadership of the ministry.
As stated in the court ruling, in June 2016, during two meetings in Kyiv at the Cupidon restaurant, the ministry official demanded that the entrepreneur hand over $150,000 to her. The transfer of funds took place on August 2 in the courtyard of the ministry. Polishchuk was detained at the official parking lot.
On August 4, 2016, the Solomyansky District Court of Kyiv set Olena Polishchuk bail in the amount of UAH 124,200 or detention for 60 days.
On September 27, the term of the preventive measure expired, and the court refused to extend it due to the suspect's non-appearance at the hearing. Polishchuk's foreign passport was returned.
In 2019, her case ended up in the VAKS, the review started from the beginning.
In June 2020, the Higher Anti-Corruption Court turned over 124,000 hryvnias of the deposit made by Olena Polishchuk to state revenue, because she repeatedly failed to appear at court summons for meetings. At the same time, the judges decided not to arrest her, but to increase the bail to UAH 252,240.
At the end of February 2024, Polishchuk was sentenced to eight years in prison for receiving an illegal benefit and was banned from holding positions in state bodies related to the performance of organizational and managerial and administrative and economic functions for a period of three years (after serving the main sentence).
The court also confiscated part of Polishchuk's property, in particular, a 0.12-hectare plot of land on the territory of the Kachaliv village council, Borodyan district, Kyiv region, and a Mitsubishi Outlander car.
Persons potentially involved in the corruption scheme: Olena Polishchuk had an accomplice - a man whose name is withheld in the court order. After receiving the money, the suspect ordered her accomplice to put it in the trunk of her car. After that she was detained.
Assets: in the declaration for 2015, Olena Polishchuk listed several real estate objects at once, namely two apartments and a plot of land (Polishchuk herself had full ownership of one apartment and a plot of land).
She also declared two passenger cars for 2015 - the ex-official owns the specified Mitsubishi Outlander (valued at UAH 277,461), while the Daewoo Lanos is declared for her husband.
Also, in 2015, Olena Polishchuk received UAH 98,499 in salary.
But in 2016, the ex-official earned somewhat less - almost UAH 94,000.
Persons who should have responded to corruption schemes: in the case of the Polishchuk case, law enforcement agencies responded in time. In particular, the SAP and NABU dealt with the case. However, the case has been under consideration at the VAKS for 4 years, and Olena Polishchuk herself is still at large.
Scandals: before the emergence of the corruption scheme, Olena Polishchuk was not noticed as a figure in other scandals.
Sources:
VAKS collected the deposit of the exposadovika of the Ministry of Agrarian Policy
Former official Minagro received 8 years in prison for a bribe of 150,000 dollars
The Minagro official, caught in a $150,000 bribe, was allowed to travel abroad