The State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) has failed to officially charge Oksana Datii, the former acting head of the Main Directorate of the State Tax Service in Kyiv, three years after conducting high-profile raids. Despite law enforcement’s initial claims regarding $1.4 million in unexplained assets and massive media coverage, not a single suspect in the case has been held accountable, while courts have steadily begun lifting freezes on the seized property.
As a reminder, during the 2023 raids, photos of the official’s handwritten «wish lists» went viral across the country. The tax official’s New Year’s resolutions included a sable fur coat, a luxury Swiss Breguet watch, and earning $1 million.
At the time, the SBI also reported her alleged ownership of premium real estate, including three apartments in Kyiv (valued at approximately $1 million), a $200,000 house, and two luxury vehicles. One of the cars—a 2021 Mercedes-Benz GLE 350 worth nearly $100,000—was registered under Datii’s personal driver. It was later revealed that as early as August 2023, Kyiv’s Pechersk District Court completely lifted the freeze on this vehicle.
A similar pattern emerged regarding the assets of Tetiana Lysenko, the former deputy head of the Kyiv tax management department, who was widely identified as Datii’s close associate. During law enforcement operations, investigators seized $160,000 and approximately 530,000 UAH from Lysenko.
The court overturned the seizure of these funds due to procedural inaction by the investigators. The SBI failed to take the necessary steps to prove a direct link between the confiscated cash and the ongoing criminal proceedings.
Furthermore, although Lysenko was dismissed from the State Tax Service immediately following the scandal, she successfully secured her reinstatement to her former position through a court ruling in 2024.
Oksana Datii also filed a lawsuit seeking reinstatement to her position within the State Tax Service, but the legal proceedings stalled, preventing her return to the tax agency.
Instead, the tax fraud scandal drastically shifted the former official’s career path. Today, the former head of the capital’s tax authority has completely rebranded her public image: she now operates as a social media influencer, runs a lifestyle blog dedicated to proper etiquette, and publishes her own books. Meanwhile, the investigation into her alleged financial misconduct remains effectively frozen.