Real Estate in Antalya and Odesa: The National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) Exposed Verbytsky’s Attempt to Hide Luxury Properties by Dissolving His Marriage
During a comprehensive audit of the asset declaration of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, NACP investigators uncovered a clear discrepancy between his public justifications and the facts. In an attempt to explain the origin of his luxury real estate, the former official became completely confused regarding the status of his ex-wife, V.V. Verbytska.
In his interviews and official statements, Verbytsky repeatedly insisted to anti-corruption officials that V.V. Verbytska was not a member of his family under the law as of the end of the reporting period, since their marriage had been officially dissolved back in 2023. With this argument, the former prosecutor attempted to prove that he had no connection to her assets.
However, while analyzing the declaration, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) uncovered a certain inconsistency. While claiming that his ex-wife was a complete stranger to him, Verbytsky, for some reason, personally included in his declaration a whole series of real estate properties registered in her name, describing this as “free use (his ex-wife’s place of residence).” Specifically, these include:
- An apartment and a plot of land in the elite Turkish resort of Antalya (Alanya);
- A luxurious estate-style residential house with an attached non-residential space measuring 420.1 square meters and the land beneath it in Odesa.
The NACP stated that this information should not have been reported under this category at all. And that’s not all. The anti-corruption agency clearly established that all of these foreign and Ukrainian real estate properties were in fact acquired with Dmytro Verbytskyi’s personal funds.
It is entirely possible that the former prosecutor simply used his ex-wife as a front, but, likely due to legal ignorance, he himself documented his connection to this property. The NACP concluded that Verbytsky has every right to dispose of these houses and apartments, either directly or indirectly, and that his attempts to hide his assets behind his ex-wife’s “fictitious” status have completely failed.
It should be noted that an investigation into Verbytsky’s alleged illicit enrichment has been underway since last year. The agency identified signs of illicit enrichment amounting to 30.27 million hryvnias and inaccurate data amounting to an additional 2.38 million hryvnias. Real estate in Turkey, Odesa, and Kyiv was registered in the names of his ex-wife, nephew, and other individuals, but the funds used to purchase all of this property came from Verbytskyi himself, according to the whistleblowers.
It has been two years since, on May 7, 2024, an investigation by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the “Schemes” program revealed undeclared assets and questionable real estate purchases by Ukraine’s Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi. The published facts sparked widespread public outcry and set off a chain of events that culminated in the high-ranking official’s dismissal and the opening of a criminal investigation.
A dissertation against corruption and renting from a friend: the controversial Dmytro Verbytskyi explains how he is evading mobilization and the courts
Instead of facing trial, the controversial former official is now calmly sipping coffee and building a political career, lamenting to the cameras of investigative journalists: “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 he pays to rent 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 find their way to court for the third year in a row, the former law enforcement official has found a foolproof way to avoid 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 answer them. I’ll show you the documents. 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.
Currently, NABU and the SAPO are continuing their pre-trial investigation into former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who was dismissed amid a scandal.
