Kravchenko released the second part of the recordings in the Kryvonos case
Attorney General Ruslan Kravchenko has released the second part of the case materials involving Semen Kryvonos, director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. According to investigators, in 2014, Kryvonos and others may have been involved in a scheme to allocate a plot of land in exchange for an illegal benefit.
According to Kravchenko, the case concerns a 0.25-hectare plot of land in the village of Tarasivka, Obukhiv District, Kyiv Region. According to the prosecution, the complainant was allegedly offered $72,000 in exchange for the land.
Initially, as Kravchenko claims, the amount of the bribe was $120,000. After that, the complainant turned to law enforcement and began acting under their supervision.
Kravchenko stated that the scheme may have involved Semen Kryvonos, then-head of the registration service of the Obukhiv City and District Department of Justice; Petro Gorbachenko, chairman of the Starobezradychiv Village Council; and several other individuals.
According to the investigation, the plan was initially to register the plot of land in another person’s name free of charge and then resell it to the complainant. The intermediary was supposed to maintain contact between the complainant and other potential participants in the arrangement.
In May 2014, according to Kravchenko, the applicant was informed that the land would be transferred to Vitalii Overchenko. Following this, the village council adopted a resolution transferring ownership of the plot to him.
On September 30, ownership of the land was registered in Overchenko’s name. He later issued a power of attorney to Dmytro Schneider, who was to handle the subsequent transfer of the land plot to the applicant.
Separately, Kravchenko spoke about the possible artificial undervaluation of the land plot.
According to him, on October 28, 2014, Kryvonos allegedly instructed Dmytro Schneider to find an appraiser who would agree to prepare a report indicating a lower market value for the land.
As a result, on October 30, appraiser Serhiy Ryabokin valued the plot at 149,896.25 UAH. At the same time, according to the investigation, its market value was estimated at approximately 345,000 UAH.
The transaction was supposed to be finalized on October 31, 2014, at a notary’s office. According to the investigation, the parties had already begun preparing the documents and arranging the transfer of funds, but the transaction ultimately did not take place.
Kravchenko also stated that on the same day, Kryvonos met with Oleksiy Pavlushko, the deputy prosecutor of the Obukhiv district.
According to the Prosecutor General, after this meeting, Kryvonos ceased communication with his potential accomplices.
In the materials released by Kravchenko, Kryvonos is accused of soliciting an unlawful benefit of an exceptionally large amount in exchange for actions taken by abusing his official position, as well as organizing the preparation and issuance of a knowingly forged official document.
Kravchenko claims that these circumstances were allegedly considered by the selection committee that selected the director of NABU in 2023.
Despite this, he says, the committee recommended Semen Kryvonos for appointment as director of the bureau.
At the same time, the circumstances cited by Ruslan Kravchenko are allegations made by the prosecution. Semen Kryvonos’s guilt in committing any criminal offenses must be proven in court.
This is evidenced by a post from the former Prosecutor General.
On September 14, suspended Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko published a screenshot of a tracking number for a mail shipment containing a notice of suspicion addressed to NABU Director Semen Kryvonos.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko stated that he is abroad on an official business trip.
The Anti-Corruption Center claimed that Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko allegedly left Ukraine after signing the notice of suspicion against NABU Director Semen Kryvonos. The Anti-Corruption Center claims that this may have been done in exchange for the opportunity to leave the country.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office have denied Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko’s statements regarding the alleged notice of suspicion issued to NABU Director Semen Kryvonos and offers of immunity guarantees.
