The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has ruled that the assets of Myroslav Volkov, the former head of the Kremenchuk District Tax Inspection and a joint venture, were acquired without valid grounds, and has ordered that nearly 3 million hryvnias be forfeited to the state. This was revealed in an official court ruling. The property subject to confiscation includes assets whose lawful acquisition the official was unable to prove, in particular luxury property and cars.
As part of the case concerning the illegal enrichment of officials, the court analysed the former military commissar’s assets in detail. The list of unjustified assets subject to confiscation includes:
an apartment in a luxury apartment block in Kremenchuk;
a TOYOTA LAND CRUISER PRADO;
the market value of another SUV — a TOYOTA RAV-4 — as well as the income received from its subsequent sale.
The total value of the assets, which the court has ordered to be confiscated for the state, amounts to approximately 3 million hryvnias.
According to the ‘Judicial Power of Ukraine’ portal, the civil forfeiture case involves not only the former head of the Kremenchuk Regional Tax and Customs Office. Two other individuals have also been named as defendants — Svitlana Zheleznyak and Serhiy Zakhlupenko.
In particular, Svitlana Zheleznyak is officially listed as the owner of the Toyota RAV-4 mentioned in the case materials. The other defendant, Serhiy Zakhlupenko, is the director of Lyupen Group LLC — a farming enterprise registered in the village of Zhuky, Kremenchuk district. The connection between these individuals and the official was examined during the court hearings.
At present, the decision of the High Anti-Corruption Court has not yet come into legal force. In accordance with the current procedural legislation of Ukraine, the defence has the right to appeal this verdict to the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court.
“The court’s decision has not yet come into legal force and may be appealed within 30 days of the date on which its full text is drawn up.”
This legal proceeding is part of a large-scale campaign to verify the assets of the heads of territorial recruitment centres, which is ongoing in Ukraine with the aim of combating corruption within the TRCs.