Position: former State Secretary of the Ministry of Community and Territorial Development, current member of the Board of Naftogaz of Ukraine.
Sphere of corruption: construction.
Region of corruption activity: all of Ukraine.
Qualification: Part 2 of Art. 15, Part 2 of Art. 28, Part 2 of Art. 364, Part 4 of Art. 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine;
Status: Suspicion filed.
Case story: NABU and SAPO exposed a corruption scheme in the construction sector with the participation of former officials of the Ministry of Regional Development. Five people from the entourage of Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov were informed about the suspicion. This was reported on Friday, June 13, by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Anti-Corruption Center.
NABU and SAPO have uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme in the construction sector involving top state officials. According to the Anti-Corruption Center, suspicions were reported to: former State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development Vasyl Volodin; former advisor to the minister Maksym Horbatyuk; former director of a state-owned enterprise Alla Sushon; developer Serhiy Kopystyr and his confidant Oleh Tatarenko.
According to the investigation, developers Kopystyr and Tatarenko decided to build a residential complex on a plot of land with an area of over 11 hectares, which belonged to the state-owned agricultural company "Flowers of Ukraine". To do this, they turned to the then Minister of Community Development Chernyshov, who entrusted communication with the developers to his advisor Horbatyuk.
The Anti-Corruption Center notes that Chernyshov later signed an order according to which the property complex of the agricultural company was transferred to the balance of the State Enterprise "Ukrkomunobslugovuvannya". Subsequently, State Secretary Volodin, on behalf of the Ministry of Regional Development, granted permission to the state enterprise to conclude investment agreements with the developer, although it did not have the right to do so.
According to them, the developer had to give the state a part of the future apartments in an amount proportional to the value of the land plot. In order to minimize this amount, the land and the existing buildings on it were valued almost five times cheaper, and the difference between this valuation and the market value exceeded 1 billion UAH.
The state would have received UAH 1 billion less in real estate if the contracts had been implemented.
For the successful deal, the developer thanked the ministry's top officials with a large discount on apartments in already constructed residential complexes. With it, the cost of 1 m2 ranged from UAH 1,000 to UAH 8,000, while the minimum market price of such apartments is about UAH 30,000 per m2.
The total amount of the unlawful benefit provided was UAH 16.8 million. At the request of the NABU and the SAPO, most of the illegally obtained apartments were also seized.
The Anti-Corruption Center noted that Chernyshov, who currently holds the position of Minister of National Unity, is currently on a business trip to the Czech Republic. While Horbatyuk was detained on June 12 in the Sheptytskyi district of Lviv region while attempting to flee abroad.
He has already been taken into custody with the possibility of posting bail of 25 million UAH. Other detainees will be given preventive measures later.
Persons potentially involved in corruption schemes:
According to the Anti-Corruption Center, the suspicion was reported by:
- former State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development Vasyl Volodin;
- former advisor to the minister Maksym Horbatyuk;
- former director of the state enterprise Alla Suchon;
- developer Serhiy Kopystyr and his proxy Oleg Tatarenko.
Assets: in the declaration for 2024, Vasyl Gennadiyevich Volodin indicated that he rents an apartment purchased on February 12, 2009 with an area of 48.8 m², owned by his wife Lyudmila Mikhailovna Volodina.
It was also declared that his wife owns a land plot with an area of 603 m² in the city of Bobrovytsia, Chernihiv region, which she acquired on March 24, 2017. She purchased another land plot with an area of 306 m² and a residential building with an area of 94.6 m² on July 4, 2018 in the village of Kryukivshchyna, Kyiv region.
His wife owns a 2011 Hyundai Sonata, purchased on February 19, 2017 for UAH 326,833. In addition, Vasyl Volodin uses a 2020 Mercedes-Benz GLS 400, which belongs to his wife and was purchased on November 30, 2024 for UAH 2,950,000.
The declarant indicated that he owns domestic government bonds (OVDP): 350 pieces purchased on November 21, 200 pieces on November 25 (twice), and another 250 pieces on November 26, with a face value of 1,000 hryvnias each.
Vasyl Volodin's income includes a salary of 699,417 hryvnias and an additional benefit of 846 hryvnias. His wife declared a salary of 3,376,655 hryvnias, as well as other income: state assistance - 21,724 hryvnias, material assistance - 18,920 hryvnias and 3,187 hryvnias, income from the sale of movable property - 257,459 hryvnias, insurance payments - 7,343 hryvnias, child birth allowance - 7,740 hryvnias, and interest income - 3,650 hryvnias.
The declaration states that Vasyl Volodin has $8,000 in cash, and his wife has $22,000. It also indicates the presence of bank accounts in PrivatBank, Oschadbank, Raiffeisen Bank, and Universal Bank.
In addition, the declarant's wife has an interest-free target loan received on May 25, 2018 from the state-owned enterprise Energoatom, as well as an insurance contract with the company VUSO, concluded on August 1, 2015.
Persons who should have reacted: in the case of Volodin, law enforcement officers reacted in a timely manner.
Scandals: There is no information in open sources about other scandals in which Volodin would appear.
Sources:
https://public.nazk.gov.ua/documents/181a3e96-4fda-486c-b92d-090333193686