Ukraine anti-graft agency uncovers alleged UAH 2.88 billion fuel scheme, probes SBU leak
Ukraine’s National Anti-Corruption Bureau said it had uncovered an organized scheme that allegedly siphoned off 100,000 metric tons of fuel worth more than UAH 2.88 billion ($XX million) from state-controlled oil producer Ukrnafta, while also investigating whether a senior Security Service official leaked information about the probe to the suspects.
NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office said four people had been notified of suspicion over the alleged scheme, which operated between 2017 and 2020. A notice of suspicion for a fifth person, a foreign national and former Ukrnafta vice president, has been sent abroad for formal delivery.
Investigators allege that companies controlled by the group obtained 100,000 tons of Ukrnafta petroleum products through commission agreements before transferring some of the fuel to affiliated firms for wholesale and retail sale.
Proceeds were then transferred to controlled companies, including abroad, using an offshore network spanning Cyprus, Belize, St. Kitts and Nevis and the British Virgin Islands, according to NABU.
The fuel represented nearly 20% of all petroleum products sold at Ukrnafta filling stations while the alleged scheme operated.
NABU said the investigation initially received operational support from the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, but detectives later discovered that information about planned investigative and procedural steps had been leaked to a trusted associate of the alleged organizers.
Investigators believe a senior SBU official from the unit supporting the investigation may have been involved in the leak. That investigation is continuing.
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