Controversial former prosecutor Verbytsky is trying to overturn a court ruling that deemed his enrichment questionable
The Sixth Administrative Court of Appeals has opened proceedings on an appeal filed by former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who is seeking to overturn the lower court’s decision, which had previously ruled in favor of the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK). Currently, the appeal proceedings have been adjourned for the time necessary to obtain and review the case materials.
According to the court’s official response to a media inquiry from the editorial staff of UA.News, the appeal filed by Verbytsky’s representative was received on March 30, 2026. It concerns the decision of the Kyiv District Administrative Court dated February 25, 2026, which dismissed the former prosecutor’s lawsuit against the National Agency for Corruption Prevention.
Key Stages of the Legal Proceedings
By a ruling dated April 2, 2026, the presiding judge opened appellate proceedings on Verbytsky’s appeal. The court sent a request to the Kyiv District Administrative Court to provide the case materials for Case No. 320/749/25 for detailed analysis.
On April 20, 2026, the court received a response from the National Agency for Corruption Prevention, in which the agency justified the legality of its actions and the validity of the previous court decision.
The Essence of the Dispute and Data Confidentiality
Previously, the Kyiv District Administrative Court confirmed that the NACP had acted within the law by establishing signs of illicit enrichment during its monitoring of Verbytsky’s lifestyle. At the same time, the Sixth Court of Appeals’ response emphasizes that only the parties to the proceedings have the right to full access to the case materials. Information on the progress of the case and the dates of upcoming hearings remains publicly available on the official web portal of the Ukrainian judiciary.
As of May 2026, no other final decisions had been issued in this appeal case. The UA.NEWS editorial team continues to monitor the proceedings, which aim to determine whether the former Deputy Prosecutor General acquired his wealth and assets legally.
It was recently reported that former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who resigned amid scandal following investigations into illegal enrichment, has officially launched his political career. In response to a request from UA.News, the Odesa regional branch of the “Batkivshchyna” All-Ukrainian Union confirmed that Verbytskyi is already a member of Yulia Tymoshenko’s party.
Dmytro Verbytskyi is currently the subject of several ongoing investigations:
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is conducting a pre-trial investigation (No. 52024000000000231) into the assets of the former prosecutor and his associates.
The police are investigating a case under Part 3 of Article 171 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, in which Verbytsky is named as a person who may have acted in a premeditated conspiracy to exert pressure on the media.
Additionally, UA.NEWS received a response from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to its inquiry regarding the status of the investigation into the possible illegal enrichment of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi. Spoiler: After two years of investigation, the “cottage and Porsche case” has not yet reached the stage of formal charges, and the case has not been referred to court.
A dissertation against corruption and renting from a friend: the controversial Dmytro Verbytskyi explained how he is evading mobilization and court proceedings
Instead of facing trial, the controversial former official is now calmly sipping coffee and building a political career, complaining to investigative journalists’ cameras: “I don’t live a lavish life, but I don’t live poorly either.” What’s more, it turns out that his luxurious home in the capital is simply an act of incredible friendly generosity. Commenting on the pittance-like rent for a house in an elite cottage community, Verbytskyy looks journalists straight in the eye and assures them: “I’m renting it from a friend. Well, this isn’t a perk; these are average market rates for renting houses, uh, in this region. And this has been verified, uh, by NAZK officials.”
While the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) seem to be trying to get a case to court for the third year in a row, the former law enforcement official has found a foolproof way to dodge mobilization—he’s become a graduate student and is working on his dissertation. The topic of this academic work by a man with millions in unexplained assets is simply mockingly perfect: “anti-corruption legislation.” Asserting that “I’ve been studying my whole life,” the former prosecutor—who is practically a professor already—has already outlined his plans for the future: “I want to continue working at a university and pass on my knowledge.” And there’s certainly plenty to pass on—for example, a unique scheme for officially earning about $2,000 at the prosecutor’s office while receiving “birthday gifts” from relatives.
“Well, they helped out—they gave me gifts for my birthday, and that was my savings… Well, my mother could have given me $5,000,” the future luminary of science declares without a hint of embarrassment.
When the conversation turns to the origin of his family’s wealth, the classic, rock-solid legend of Ukrainian bureaucracy about wealthy relatives comes into play.
“My father was a captain on a long-haul ship. I think you understand how much a long-haul ship captain earns. Well, starting at $10,000 a month,” Verbytsky boasts. But for some reason, he refused to brag about his new Audi SQ8 worth 100 thousand greenbacks on camera, instantly switching to a tone of aggressive defense:
“Look, this car is registered in my name. You can look it up online. If you want, I’ll come to your studio, I’ll give you an interview, I’ll show you the documents. Show me the questions you want to ask. I’ll give them to you. I’ll give you the document. Conduct the interview objectively. I don’t like provocations like the one you’re pulling right now.” Verbytskyi now plans to scale up all this “anti-corruption” success in the world of big-time politics—he has taken the helm of the district branch of Yulia Tymoshenko’s party. However, even here the logic has gone out the window, because, in the words of the newly minted party member himself: “As of today, whether to go into politics or not—I’m not yet, let’s say, fully ready to go into politics. I am currently a party member and serve as the head of the branch in the Khadzhibeyevsky District. No, I do not sponsor the party.”
Under what exact conditions “Batkivshchyna” took in such a toxic figure remains an open question. For now, Dmytro Anatoliyovych feels so confident and immune from consequences that, instead of sitting in the dock, he’s attacking law enforcement officials himself: “I am currently in a legal battle with the NACP, since the NACP clearly stated in a publication that they found evidence of illicit enrichment on my part, that they identified the elements of a crime, and that all of this was acquired on my instructions.”
The former prosecutor actively flaunts his legal battles on Facebook, personally racking up hundreds of reposts under his own posts to create the illusion of support. However, the public does not find this funny at all, because behind the facade of these absurd justifications and partisan manipulations, a sad reality is clearly evident: the Verbytsky case may simply be being deliberately and artificially stalled behind the scenes by anti-corruption agencies.
