‘Under-the-table dealings’ at customs: The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine reported suspicions against the stepson of the chief forensic expert of Ukraine

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau and Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine prevent bribery attempt to place key personnel in customs offices.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has reported preventing an attempt by a group of individuals to bribe their way into placing preferred personnel in leadership positions within the territorial organs of the State Customs Service, intending to establish corruption schemes.

According to the investigation, $1 million was offered for the position of head of the Lviv Customs Office, while the positions of heads of the Volyn and Chernivtsi Customs Offices were priced at $500,000 and $200,000 respectively.

Additionally, the group hoped that the leadership of the State Customs Service would turn a blind eye to corruption schemes at these customs offices in exchange for half of the illegally obtained profits.

Two individuals have been charged under Part 2 of Article 15, Part 4 of Article 27, and Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The initiator of the crime was detained under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code of the Russian Federation.

According to media reports, the suspect is Nazar Sheptytsky, the stepson of Oleksandr Ruvin, the director of the Kyiv Institute of Forensic Examinations. Searches were also conducted in relation to this case at the homes of acting head of the Customs Service Serhiy Zviahintsev and the director of the Internal Security Department of this service, Oleksandr Maruzhenko.

The media also report that the intermediary between Sheptytsky and Zviahintsev for these paid appointments was former deputy head of customs, Ruslan Cherkassky.

Previously, the National Agency on Corruption Prevention of Ukraine discovered signs of the unlawful acquisition of assets by former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytsky, amounting to nearly 29 million hryvnias, including an apartment and a land plot in Turkey.

It was also reported that NABU is conducting searches at the residence of former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, who was responsible for the “Big Construction” project.