Case Concerning the Protection of Honor and Dignity: The National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) Appeals the Pechersk Court’s Ruling on Verbytsky’s Lawsuit
The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NAPC) has filed an appeal against the decision of the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv in the case brought by former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi. The appeal concerns a case regarding the protection of honor, dignity, and professional reputation.
This is stated in the NACP’s official response to an inquiry from the UA.NEWS news agency.
The appeal was filed on August 20, 2026, via the “Electronic Court” subsystem of the Unified Judicial Information and Telecommunications System. At this time, there is no information regarding the opening of appellate proceedings on the Agency’s appeal.
In addition, the agency disclosed details of its interaction with anti-corruption authorities regarding the former official’s assets. Specifically, in July 2024, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine informed the Agency that a substantiated conclusion and materials from the monitoring of Dmytro Verbytskyi’s lifestyle had been added to the criminal case file and were part of it.
To monitor the progress of the case, the NACP additionally contacted the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to track the results of the review of the conclusion and the pre-trial investigation. Regarding other procedural issues, the agency advised contacting NABU directly, as the Agency does not possess this information.
According to the Agency, the appeal was filed on August 20, 2026, through the “Electronic Court” system. At this time, there is no information regarding the opening of appellate proceedings.
What Verbitsky Denied
Former prosecutor Dmytro Verbytskyi, following journalistic exposés, his dismissal from office, and accusations by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) of illicit enrichment, filed a lawsuit in court to defend his honor, dignity, and professional reputation.
The scandal-ridden former prosecutor Verbytsky with his girlfriend Khrystyna Ilnytska
The Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv ruled in Verbytskyi’s favor, granting his lawsuit against the NACP.
The case was heard by Judge Yevhen Khainatsky, who effectively blocked public access to the findings of the investigation into the former official’s assets. In its ruling, the court ordered the NACP to remove, within five days, information from its official website regarding evidence of illegal enrichment totaling nearly 29 million hryvnias found in Verbytsky’s case, as well as to publish an official retraction.
The formal grounds for granting the claim were purely procedural. The court determined that since, with regard to Verbytsky, there is currently no final and binding court conviction, the NACP’s allegations of a “corruption-related criminal offense” and “illicit enrichment” violate the presumption of innocence.
In addition, the court relied on a private linguistic analysis provided by Verbytsky’s side and concluded that the NACP’s publication did not contain evaluative judgments or criticism, but rather “categorical factual assertions.”
As a reminder, in May 2026, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) published the results of a comprehensive review of the 2023 asset declaration of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi. The agency’s findings were disappointing for the former official and effectively refuted his public statements regarding the lawful origin of his assets and the absence of any claims from anti-corruption authorities.
Based on the audit results, the NACP identified indications of two possible violations. First, Verbytsky’s declaration contained inaccurate information totaling more than 2.3 million hryvnias. Second, the agency identified signs of illicit enrichment totaling more than 30.2 million hryvnias, the origin of which is not corroborated by the official income of the official himself or his close associates.
The findings of the audit were forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and incorporated into the criminal case opened regarding the former prosecutor’s possible illicit enrichment. Due to the ongoing pre-trial investigation, the NACP declined to disclose details regarding specific assets that were the subject of the audit, citing the requirements of the law on investigative secrecy.
A complete chronology of the scandals involving former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi of Odesa can be found here.
