Detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) have uncovered the key role of businessman Vasyl Astion in the ongoing investigation into MP Vadym Stolar’s organized crime group: according to official SAPO statements delivered at the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), Astion acted as a «judicial fixer,» overseeing favorable court rulings and managing financial payoffs to judges.
The details were unveiled during a court session at the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), where prosecutors read wiretap transcripts and detailed the criminal network’s inner workings.
According to investigators, the official legal timeline of the organized crime group began no later than November 15, 2024, with an informal agreement concluded between former MP Maksym Mykytas and current MP Vadym Stolar. This agreement formally established the group as a legal target of investigation.
A major chapter in the case, codenamed «Themis,» involved the illegal takeover of two prominent enterprises in central Kyiv in autumn 2025 via hacked state registries. Prosecutors revealed that the group spent $514,000 in scheme expenses to execute the raid.
Investigators established that Astion’s key partner was Rostyslav Smirnov, former Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine (2020–2024). Shared business assets between the two date back to 2021. Astion systematically leveraged Smirnov’s position to gain access to senior officials in the Ministry of Justice and the Office of the President who appear in connected case files labeled «Forest Gump.»
In addition to political influence, Astion directly funded the services of Vadym Bosyy, a judge at Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court. Throughout 2024 and 2025, Judge Bosyy issued a series of tailored rulings favoring the criminal group, which later formed the core of the «Themis» and «Forest Gump» indictments.
Key NABU Wiretap Transcript (Read in HACC Court Session):
Maksym Mykytas: «Do you have 200 million in non-cash form?»
Vasyl Astion: «No.»
SAPO prosecutors emphasize that the wiretapped dialogue proves Astion was not a mere physical «cashier,» but a high-level organizer of bail and electronic bank liquidity. Notably, since 2020, Vasyl Astion and his brother Yevhen Astion have jointly held a nearly 20% stake in JSC Bank Ukrainian Capital (9.99% each).
Simultaneously, law enforcement is probing a scheme to launder 150 million UAH for Halushchenko via Sense Bank through accounts belonging to Tetras Optima (54M UAH), Hiran Construct (87M UAH), Skyte Retail (5M UAH), and Pelet Service (4M UAH). However, the origin of the 200 million UAH non-cash funds sought by Mykytas—and whether they passed through Bank Ukrainian Capital’s correspondent accounts—remains an active area of investigation.
Nov 15, 2024 — Informal agreement signed between Mykytas and Stolar.
Autumn 2025 — «Themis» case: Corporate raid on two Kyiv enterprises.
June 2026 — Money laundering of 150M UAH via Sense Bank.
June 12, 2026 — Astion publicly denies ties to Halushchenko in Ekonomichna Pravda.
Aug 19, 2026 — NABU searches Astion’s premises; Astion resides in Vienna.
Aug 20, 2026 — SAPO formally designates Astion as the group’s «judicial fixer.»
The primary focus for prosecutors now is reviewing all judicial rulings facilitated by Astion between 2021 and 2026 to identify additional beneficiaries. Concurrently, the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has opened separate proceedings into judicial corruption involving Judge Vadym Bosyy.
Because Vasyl Astion was in Vienna at the time of the NABU raids, Ukrainian authorities are preparing a formal extradition request to Austria alongside petitions to freeze his assets across the European Union.