Position: Former head of the State Tax Service (2019-2020), Deputy Minister of Finance of Ukraine (2018-2019).
Sphere of corrupt activity: state finances.
Region of corruption activity : Kyiv, Lviv.
Qualification: part 2 of article 364 - abuse of power or official position, i.e. intentional, with the aim of obtaining any unlawful benefit for oneself or another natural or legal person, the official's use of power or official position contrary to the interests of the service, if it caused significant damage to the protected by law to the rights, freedoms and interests of individual citizens or to state or public interests, or to the interests of legal entities, if it has caused grave consequences - shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of three to six years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years, with a fine of five hundred to one thousand tax-free minimum incomes of citizens.
Status: On January 26, 2021, NABU announced the wanted status of the former head of the State Tax Service Serhiy Verlanov, who lives in the EU, Germany. "I read that I was declared wanted. I did not hide and I will not hide. So I will appeal the decision. I currently live in Germany at the address that I gave to NABU detectives on December 17, 2020," Serhiy Verlanov said.
The plot of the case: on May 7, 2020, employees of the Security Service of Ukraine searched the apartment of the former head of the State Tax Service, Serhii Verlanov, as part of the investigation into the operation of Vasyl Kostyuk's envelope center for the purposes of financing terrorism.
On October 20, 2020, the Prosecutor General's Office notified Serhiy Verlanov of the suspicion. On the same day, the Deputy Prosecutor General changed the jurisdiction of the NABU and SAP in the case.
According to the investigation, ex-head of the DPS Serhiy Verlanov could have committed deliberate abuse of power and official position during the exercise of his powers, with the aim of obtaining an illegal benefit for Arcelormittal Kryvyi Rih PJSC.
In accordance with the order of the Office of Large Taxpayers of the State Fiscal Service, a scheduled on-site documentary inspection of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih PJSC was conducted on the issue of compliance with the requirements of tax, currency and other legislation. During its implementation, contradictions arose regarding the taxation of rent for the use of subsoil for the extraction of minerals, the elimination of which required special technical knowledge.
Therefore, the Dnipropetrovsk Department of the OVPP of the SFS of Ukraine asked the National Technical University "Dniprovska Polytechnic" to provide information on changes in minerals during their extraction. As a result, an underestimation of the tax liabilities of PJSC "Arcelormittal Kryvyi Rih" from rent payments for the use of subsoil for the extraction of minerals in the amount of UAH 2.24 billion was established. Later, according to the investigation, Serhii Verlanov completely canceled these obligations in the interests of ArcelorMittal Kryvyi Rih.
On June 19, 2023, the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, Oleksandr Klymenko, transferred the case to the Security Service of Ukraine on the suspicion of the former head of the State Tax Service, Serhiy Verlanov, in abuse of office.
Persons potentially involved in the schemes of Serhiy Verlanov: Vasyl Kostyuk, lawyer, fellow student and partner of Serhiy Verlanov in the following firms, conversion firms under the signs LLC "VIK Limardo", LLC "TD SHTERN", LLC "GRIFON PLUS", LLC "ECO-TRADE" ZACHID", LLC "WEST Tabakko GROUP", LLC "N-PRODUCTION", LLC "FOREST SUNRISE", which were engaged in the conversion of funds.
Scandals : On May 6, 2020, Serhii Verlanov, who was recently dismissed from the post of head of the State Tax Service, sued and demanded his reinstatement. "I have filed a lawsuit in court, in which I demand that my dismissal be recognized as illegal and that I be reinstated as head of the DPS. I will continue to fight arbitrariness with legal methods."
On April 24, 2020, the government dismissed the head of the State Tax Service, Serhii Verlanov, and the head of the Customs Service, Maksym Nefyodov. Verlanov called these two dismissals an unreasonable "political decision". Serhiy Verlanov headed the Tax Service in May 2019.
Maksym Nefyodov became the head of the Customs Service in July.
Persons who should have responded to Serhiy Verlanov's corruption schemes:
1. GPU. At the time of the obvious corruption schemes of Myroslav Prodana, the General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine was headed by Yurii Lutsenko.
2. NABU. At the time of Myroslav Prodana's organization of schemes for companies controlled by him, the head of NABU was Artem Sytnyk.
Wealth: the family has five apartments, one parking space, Mitsubishi Lancer 2.0 Invite and Volkswagen Polo 1.4 cars, no securities or corporate rights, the main income is a salary of UAH 608,942, savings - $48,000 and 18,000 euro. Member of NGO Bigova Ukraine.
Sources:
Unified state register of declarations
Ex-head of the tax department Verlanov commented on the fact that he was served with suspicion
The former head of the tax office Verlanov announced the search by the SBU
The SAP transferred the case of the ex-head of the tax service Verlanov to the SBU
The SBU named the reason for the search of Verlanov
Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine - Search records of the Ministry of Internal Affairs