The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) will continue hearing the high-profile «shashlyk case» on August 17, with prominent lawyer Andriy Dovbenko named as the primary defendant. According to law enforcement agencies, Dovbenko masterminded a corruption scheme involving the illicit sale of seized assets managed by the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA), resulting in losses to the state budget estimated at UAH 485 million.
A total of eleven individuals face charges in connection with the investigation. Notable co-defendants include former ARMA Chairman Anton Yanchuk and former head of the state enterprise SETAM Viktor Vyshnov. The proceedings were originally reported by the Bankova Mail Telegram channel.
Court documents reveal that the defendants established a systematic operation to liquidate seized state-controlled assets to pre-selected private firms at fractionally reduced prices. The transactions encompassed valuable real estate, raw industrial commodities, and agricultural yields.
Investigators documented drastic price reductions across several asset categories:
Land Plots in Odesa Oblast: Realized at prices 18 times lower than fair market value.
River Sand: Several thousand tons of industrial sand were sold over 6 times below market rates.
Urea Supplies: Shipments of chemical fertilizer were delivered to buyers at nearly 5 times below standard pricing.
Agricultural Yields: The scheme also involved thousands of tons of grain, cereals, and oilseed crops.
Dovbenko allegedly maintained direct oversight of the entire operation, managing the assets from their initial transfer into ARMA jurisdiction to their final liquidation via the SETAM platform. Intercepted internal communications show that participants referred to the seized assets as «shashlyk» (barbecue) and the discounted sales process as «roasting».
Born in Kalush, Ivano-Frankivsk Oblast, 40-year-old Andriy Dovbenko holds a law degree from the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and previously served as managing partner at the legal firm Evris.
Journalistic investigations have linked Dovbenko to shadow governance, designating him as an unofficial «overseer» (smotryashchiy) of the Ministry of Justice during the tenure of former Minister Pavlo Petrenko (2014–2019). According to the anti-corruption organization Larysa Kryvoruchko Anti-Corruption Front, Dovbenko’s influence extended to private enforcement agents, who allegedly paid 30% kickbacks from their professional fees.
Investigative reporting has highlighted several connections between Dovbenko and prominent political figures:
Marriage to Dariia Zarivna: Dovbenko was formerly married to Dariia Zarivna, who later served as an advisor to Andriy Yermak, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine.
St. Tropez Wedding Attendance: Dovbenko is also connected to former Office of the President head Andriy Bohdan. In August 2019, Bohdan attended Dovbenko’s three-day wedding in Saint-Tropez, France, where investigative journalists recorded frequent informal meetings between the two.
Despite ongoing criminal proceedings in Ukraine, Andriy Dovbenko currently resides in the United Kingdom.
In English-language media and public platforms, he presents himself as an early-stage venture investor and defense technology proponent. Through publicly listed initiatives, he actively promotes commentary and investment programs centered on the Ukrainian military tech sector. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities continue legal proceedings to hold all eleven suspects accountable for large-scale embezzlement of state property.