NABU has uncovered a scheme to embezzle more than 37 million hryvnias in donations intended to support Ukraine

This was reported by NABU.

The participants in the scheme laundered the stolen money through money-laundering centers. The total amount of laundered funds exceeds 37 million hryvnias (approximately 1.28 million U.S. dollars at the time the crime was committed).

How the scheme worked

The former State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (2020–2024), who organized the scheme, persuaded international donors and employees of foreign diplomatic missions to direct financial aid to the account of a controlled nonprofit organization. According to the expert analysis, these funds legally had the status of earmarked budget funds from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ special fund.

The money was then transferred to accounts controlled by sole proprietorships and legal entities, and from there to money-laundering centers, where it was siphoned off for personal gain.

To create the appearance of legality, they fabricated fictitious letters and signed grant agreements containing false information.

The following individuals are also under suspicion:

• the former chief of staff to the State Secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who is currently a diplomat;
• an advisor to the former Minister of Foreign Affairs and the head of a controlled NGO;
• an accountant at the NGO.

As a reminder, Vitaliy Shabunin, chairman of the board of the NGO “Anti-Corruption Action Center,” assessed the effectiveness of the anti-corruption infrastructure. According to him, prior to the creation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), and the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), top-level officials in Ukraine remained, in principle, untouchable, and there were no convictions or even suspicions against them.