The National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) has identified signs of a criminal offense in the case of Dmytro Verbytskyi
The UA.NEWS editorial team contacted state anti-corruption agencies regarding the case of Dmytro Verbytskyi and received responses confirming that an audit of his 2023 financial disclosure statement had been conducted, that the materials had been forwarded to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and that the pre-trial investigation was ongoing.
The National Agency for Corruption Prevention conducted a full audit of Dmytro Verbytskyi’s annual amended declaration for 2023. The audit took place from October 7, 2024, to April 4, 2025. Based on the results, the NACP identified indications of violations under Part 1 of Article 366-2 and Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The agency issued a corresponding report on April 11, 2025.
At the same time, the NACP reported that no comprehensive audits of Verbytskyi’s declarations for 2022 and 2024 were conducted. The agency also confirmed that it had forwarded materials from its monitoring of the official’s lifestyle to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau for inclusion in the criminal proceedings.
The NACP is currently unable to provide a copy of the substantiated conclusion dated July 3, 2024. According to the agency, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) has classified these materials as part of a confidential pre-trial investigation, so their disclosure is restricted under Article 222 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine.
The NACP also noted that it had not sent any materials or proposals to the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office for the preparation of a civil lawsuit to declare the assets unjustified and to recover them as state revenue.
The SAP confirmed the investigation and explained why a civil lawsuit was not possible
In its response to the inquiry, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office stated that it cannot disclose additional information regarding criminal proceeding No. 52024000000000231 due to legal requirements regarding the confidentiality of pre-trial investigations. At the same time, the SAP’s response pertains specifically to the requested information and does not contain a detailed description of the current status of the investigative actions.
Separately, the prosecutor’s office explained the legal grounds which, in its view, preclude a civil lawsuit seeking to have assets declared unjustified in this case.
The SAP cited Article 290 of the Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine and noted that if the value of unjustified assets exceeds 9.084 million UAH, which corresponds to 3,000 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons as of 2024, such actions may constitute a criminal offense under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. On this basis, the prosecutor’s office considers it legally impossible to file a civil claim regarding such assets.
In summary, the responses from government agencies confirm that the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) reviewed Verbytskyi’s 2023 declaration, identified signs of possible violations, and forwarded the lifestyle monitoring materials to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). At the same time, a significant portion of the information regarding the criminal proceedings remains classified due to the confidentiality of the pretrial investigation.
The presence of indications of violations identified during the review of the declaration does not, in and of itself, constitute proof of guilt. Final conclusions regarding criminal liability can be reached only in accordance with the procedure established by law.
Earlier, the UA.NEWS editorial team sent an official request for information to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), demanding disclosure of the procedural status of the criminal proceedings regarding the possible illegal enrichment of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
The investigation has been ongoing for over 2 years and 5 months, yet for more than 21 months there has been a complete lack of publicly visible procedural activity.
Criminal proceeding No. 52024000000000231 was initiated on May 13, 2024, under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. As early as July of that year, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) added to the case file a substantiated conclusion regarding the discovery of unexplained assets totaling 37,582,621 UAH belonging to Verbytskyi and individuals associated with him, the legality of which was subsequently confirmed by the Kyiv District Administrative Court.
Despite the existence of an official finding regarding his demonstrated assets, the anti-corruption authorities have, throughout this entire period, failed to issue any of the final decisions provided for by criminal procedure law—neither to serve a notice of suspicion nor to close the proceedings.
An analysis of the Unified State Register of Court Decisions shows that the last public action taken by the investigating judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court in this case dates back to January 2025. At that time, the High Anti-Corruption Court overturned the rulings by the NABU investigator and the SAPO prosecutor denying the defense’s motions and ordered a reconsideration of the requests to question notaries and appraisers.
