Serhiy Bielashov, a member of the Poltava Oblast Council and head of the «Batkivshchyna» faction, is facing accusations of organizing large-scale corruption schemes in procurements for JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, which allegedly caused hundreds of millions of hryvnias in state losses. According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP), the former tax official and current politician, colluding with top management of the state railway company, blocked transparent tenders for years for personal enrichment. The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has already handed down convictions to his suspected accomplices.
Within the criminal proceedings led by NABU and SAP, Serhiy Bielashov and Vitaliy Tsvihun, the former head of the «Production Support Center» branch of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia, stand accused of purchasing gas at inflated prices. The investigation established that between December 2016 and January 2020, the officials deliberately blocked open bidding.
Tenders were canceled six times, allowing direct contracts to be awarded to companies controlled by the councilman. The estimated damage to the state exceeds 200 million UAH. In June 2023, the HACC ordered Bielashov to be detained, with bail set at 30 million UAH as an alternative.
Another episode of the investigation involves the embezzlement of 98 million UAH in fuel procurement through the company «Skela Tercium.» The co-owner of this firm is Yevheniya Fedorovych, the sister of the councilman’s wife. The scheme centered on the alleged supply of fuel for marine ferries that were not even operational. Out of a total contract value of 101.5 million UAH, only 3 million UAH worth of fuel was actually delivered.
In this case, the HACC has already found former officials of the «Liski» Transport Service Center branch of JSC Ukrzaliznytsia guilty. The former executives received real prison sentences along with total asset confiscation:
Ruslan Husak (former head of the branch) — 9 years of imprisonment;
Oleksiy Shevченко (chief engineer) — 9 years of imprisonment;
Valeriy Vovk (1st deputy head of the Odesa regional office) — 8 years of imprisonment;
Inna Dyshliuk (chief engineer of the regional office) — 8 years of imprisonment.
Serhiy Bielashov is the beneficiary of over 10 enterprises operating in construction, the gas sector, and finance. While most of these entities are officially unprofitable on paper, they regularly appear in court registries regarding cases of fictitious tax credits, tax evasion, and money laundering.
The primary asset of the Bielashov family (with shares held by his wife Liliana, her sister, his daughter, and his mother-in-law) is JSC «Bank Ukrainskyi Kapital,» where the politician controls a 48.91% stake. The financial institution has repeatedly drawn the attention of law enforcement.
Context: In 2015, the bank purchased the claim rights to a lucrative property complex belonging to PJSC «Tutkovskyi» from the bankrupt «Ukrainian Professional Bank» (UPB). Despite the Supreme Court of Ukraine ruling the transaction null and void in 2019 due to a lack of actual payment, the bank’s top management illegally re-registered ownership of the properties. The assets were subsequently seized by law enforcement amid a criminal case concerning large-scale misappropriation of third-party assets.
Currently, «Ukrainskyi Kapital» Bank is also implicated in new criminal proceedings. According to investigators, the head of one of the bank’s branches conspired with third parties, forged internal electronic payment documents, and illegally withdrew large sums of cash from a client’s account. The pre-trial investigation into the matter is ongoing.