Ex-deputy head of the OP Smirnov arrested: what is known about bail and suspicions
5 May 13:36
The former deputy head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Smirnov, has been imposed a preventive measure in the form of arrest with the possibility of bail. This was reported by "Komersant Ukrainian" with reference to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP).
Smirnov will be held in custody until May 22 with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 18 million.
Smirnov is suspected of legalization of illegally obtained funds and obtaining illegal benefits on a particularly large scale.
Who is Andriy Smirnov and what is he suspected of?
Andriy Smirnov was the Deputy Head of the Presidential Office from September 2019 to March 2024. It is believed that he was in charge of law enforcement and judicial systems and legal policy in general.
Prior to that, Smirnov was a member of the Dnipro Regional Council, and before that, he was an assistant to MPs Valeriy Karpuntsov and Andriy Denysenko. In 2014, he ran for the Verkhovna Rada, but did not win.
Prior to his political career, he headed the legal department of the State Committee for the State Material Reserve, was deputy director of the SBU’s economic support department, and head of the land resources department in Zaporizhzhia. He graduated from the Law Faculty of the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy.
In February 2023, Ukrayinska Pravda published the above-mentioned investigation about Andriy Smirnov’s brother, Ihor Smirnov, who bought luxury real estate, land and cars at below-market prices.
After that, on March 29, Smirnov was dismissed from the Prosecutor General’s Office.
on May 22, 2024, the NABU and the SAPO served a notice of suspicion of illicit enrichment on the former deputy head of the Presidential Office.
According to the investigation, during 2020-2022, Smirnov “acquired assets” in the amount of UAH 17.1 million, but his savings and official income during this time amounted to only UAH 1.3 million. The official bought an apartment in Lviv, a land plot in Zakarpattia, two cars, two motorcycles and three parking spaces.
He registered most of this property in his brother’s name, but used it himself.
Now the former official is suspected of violating Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Illegal enrichment”. He faces imprisonment for a term of 5 to 20 years.
New suspicion against Smirnov
on April 16, 2025, Smirnov was notified of a new suspicion.
The investigation found that between 2019 and 2021, Smirnov illegally acquired significant amounts of cash. To conceal the origin of the funds, he invested about UAH 6.5 million in the construction of private houses with an area of more than 300 square meters in a recreational area of Odesa region.
The formal owner of the properties was a company that owned a plot of land by the sea. However, the real estate was actually used by the former official himself. After being notified of suspicion in May 2024, the property was re-registered to a trustee.
In addition, the SAPO and the NABU found that in 2022, the top official was approached by the owner of a construction company with a request to facilitate the decision of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine to cancel the results of a tender won by another company and ensure that his company won. In return, he promised the high-ranking official to provide services and works for the construction of a house on the coast for a total of USD 100 thousand. THE OFFICIAL AGREED.
The official agreed to the offer and, using his official position, fulfilled his obligations. The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine subsequently made the “necessary” decision.
As of today, the former Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine is charged with accepting an offer of unlawful benefit in the amount of USD 100 thousand. The former Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine is charged with accepting an offer of undue advantage in the amount of USD 100 thousand and legalization of illegally acquired funds, i.e. committing crimes under Part 1 of Article 368-5, Part 1, 2 of Article 209 and Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The owner of the construction company was served a notice of suspicion under Part 1 Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing, and other persons allegedly involved in the crime are being identified.
