Investigation completed: how former officials of the State Migration Service embezzled UAH 88 million
6 September 19:27The NABU and the SAPO have completed a pre-trial investigation in criminal proceedings on suspicion of former officials of the State Migration Service of Ukraine and other persons of misappropriation of budget funds worth over UAH 88 million. This was reported by Komersant Ukrainian with reference to the NABU.
The investigation found that in 2015, the State Migration Service of Ukraine received a building in the centre of Kyiv from the state to house the central office of the service.
“A businessman, a citizen of the Russian Federation, who was in “friendly” relations with representatives of the state institution and other officials, organised a long-term scheme of embezzlement of budget funds using controlled persons in the structure of the migration service,” the report says.
It is noted that the business involved the head of the State Migration Service of Ukraine, his deputy, the head of the economic unit and a number of other people who, for selfish reasons, helped to seize the funds allocated for the arrangement of the building.
In particular, the head of the department assisted the organiser of the scheme in concluding contracts with companies under his control for design and construction work, artificially limiting the participation of other companies in the tender.
For several years, the criminal group misappropriated budget funds by overstating the cost of work performed, issuing “empty acts” and duplicating work.
As a result, the state suffered losses of over UAH 88 million.
The materials collected by the NABU detectives during the pre-trial investigation helped the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine to identify the collusion of two companies controlled by the businessman and fine them UAH 2.1 million. The AMCU made the decision on 27 December 2022.
Who is involved in the case
Earlier, the Anti-Corruption Action Centre reported that former Deputy Head of the Migration Service Donskyi, former Head of the Resource and Economic Support Department of the SMS Vakaliuk and businessman Salgereev were served with suspicion notices.
According to the investigation, the former head of the SMS assisted businessman Salgereev in concluding agreements on design and construction work and making payments for uncompleted work and services not rendered.
It should be added that from 2015 to 2021, Maksym Sokoliuk was the head of the State Migration Service.
In 2021, NABU detectives conducted searches in his office, after which he was fired. However, Sokoliuk himself stated that the decision to dismiss him was not related to the searches.
It should be noted that Sokolyuk was also involved in the 2021 story of the return of Nastia from Wuhan from Zanzibar.