The Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv has found Mykhailo Lev, the former First Deputy Chairman of the State Space Agency of Ukraine, guilty of declaring false information. The former official was fined 17,000 UAH for concealing the value of real estate properties located in occupied Crimea, Glavcom reports, citing a court ruling dated October 7.
According to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP), Mykhailo Lev failed to specify the value of a 189.9 sq. m apartment and a 13.4 sq. m garage located in Gurzuf (Autonomous Republic of Crimea) in his annual financial disclosure. The total discrepancy between the declared assets and the actual data amounted to 475.6 thousand UAH.
The former official and his defense counsel argued for the dismissal of the case, claiming a lack of administrative offense. Lev stated that the property was acquired back in 2010 and he could not recall its exact price at the time of filling out the declaration. To avoid entering incorrect information, he chose to leave the value fields blank. He added that all property documents remained on the peninsula, which he has not visited since the annexation.
«Mykhailo Lev had an objective opportunity to ascertain the value of the real estate belonging to him, yet failed to take any action aimed at obtaining such information,» the court noted, dismissing the defense’s arguments.
In addition to the administrative fine, the former official is required to pay 454 UAH in court fees. Notably, his name is currently absent from the NACP’s Unified State Register of Corrupt Persons.
Despite the anti-corruption investigation, the former Space Agency deputy head planned to pursue a career within the state legal system. Mykhailo Lev submitted his candidacy for the position of an appellate administrative court judge; however, the Public Integrity Council (PIC) did not conduct a review of his profile.
According to his asset disclosure, the former official owns a one-third stake in a Kyiv apartment (120,8 sq. m), the aforementioned apartment, and two parking spaces in Gurzuf. His declared vehicles include:
A Mercedes GL (2010 model year);
A Bayliner 185 motorboat;
A Yamaha LTS 125 moped.
The declarant’s financial assets include 480,000 UAH in cash, alongside income from a salary at «Vazhtransmash» LLC (138.4 thousand UAH) and independent professional activities (38.6 thousand UAH). Lev is a member of the Ukrainian National Bar Association and serves on the boards of several non-governmental organizations.
Analysts and anti-corruption watchdogs point out another financial liability in the official’s filings. In February 2022, Lev received a loan of 600,000 UAH from Taras Boiko. Both individuals share a professional background in the Odesa region, where they both served as heads of district state administrations between 2015 and 2017. The circumstances of this loan may warrant further investigation regarding a potential conflict of interest.
Furthermore, Mykhailo Lev’s declaration lists no family members. However, Olena Lev and Oleksandr Lev are co-owners of his Kyiv apartment, which could trigger a subsequent NACP verification regarding the completeness of the family data provided.