Following an investigation by "Skhemy" the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) have initiated criminal proceedings against the head of the Antimonopoly Committee, Pavlo Kyrylenko (pictured), on charges of "illicit enrichment" and "submission of false information" as Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty reported, citing SAP sources.
Law enforcement officials initiated criminal proceedings on March 22nd, the day after the publication of the "Skhemy’s" material (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), which revealed that the official's family acquired real estate and vehicles totaling over 70 million hryvnias between 2020 and 2023.
This includes a large estate and two plots of land near Kyiv, 200 square meters of office space in the capital, two SUVs, three apartments with parking spaces in elite residential complexes in Kyiv, and four apartments with parking spaces in Uzhhorod, registered in the names of the official's parents and his wife's grandmother.
"Skhemy" found out that none of Kyrylenko's relatives have any business, and the family's official income would not be enough to purchase all this valuable property. Moreover, the official did not declare the real estate and vehicles used by his family in his declaration.
"Prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, based on the information disclosed in the journalistic investigation by the 'Skhemy' program, have entered information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations on March 22, 2024, regarding the commission of criminal offenses under Articles 366-2 (submission of false information - Ed.) and 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illicit enrichment - Ed.)", - the prosecution's response to Radio Liberty's inquiry stated.
Pre-trial investigations are conducted by detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.
The minimum penalty under Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code for submitting false information involves a fine, while the maximum penalty includes imprisonment for up to two years with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years. Punishment under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code for illicit enrichment entails imprisonment for a term of five to ten years with the deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for up to three years.
The journalists of "Skhemy" (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty), investigated that the luxurious property, mostly registered under the relatives of Kyrylenko's wife, was acquired during the period when he headed the Donetsk Oblast State Administration and before his transfer to Kyiv as the head of the AMCU in 2023. Moreover, none of the relatives have any business, and the family's official income would not have been sufficient to acquire all this valuable property, as stated in the investigation.
In a comment to "Skhemy", Kyrylenko stated that the source of the wealth is the family's initial capital, which was formed in the 1990s when his future wife's grandmother lucratively sold shares of the "Styrol" plant in Horlivka, acquired by her as a factory worker. Journalists were unable to find official confirmation of these transactions.
Kyrylenko's relatives also failed to provide documentary evidence of this version of the family's wealth origins, stating that "everything remained in the occupied Horlivka".
Furthermore, "Skhemy" found that Kyrylenko did not declare the property used by him and his family in his declaration. This includes a four-room apartment in Kyiv covering nearly 200 square meters, where the official resides with his family, as well as a BMW X3 car used by Kirilenko's wife.
It was reported that on September 5, 2023, the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dismissed Pavlo Kyrylenko from the position of head of the Donetsk Oblast State Administration.
On September 6, 2023, the Verkhovna Rada appointed Kyrylenko, as the head of the AMCU.