The Office of the Prosecutor General has disclosed details of the criminal case against former Deputy Prosecutor General Verbytsky
Criminal Case No. 42024000000000788 is currently under investigation regarding former Deputy Prosecutor General of Ukraine Dmytro Verbytskyi, who has become a central figure in a high-profile corruption scandal involving alleged illicit enrichment. The case was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations (URPI) on June 18, 2024—precisely during the period of his controversial dismissal from the Office of the Prosecutor General.
This is stated in the official response from the Office of the Prosecutor General to a request from the online media outlet UA.NEWS.
According to the document, signed by the head of the department for handling requests for public information, the investigation into the case involving the former high-ranking official has now been referred to law enforcement authorities in the capital. The pre-trial investigation is being conducted by the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv, while the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office is overseeing the proceedings.
In addition, the Office of the Prosecutor General confirmed that Dmytro Verbytskyi himself is attempting to launch a counterattack and initiate criminal prosecutions. The agency has recorded four official complaints from the former official (two in November 2024 and two in January 2025), in which he alleges that law enforcement officials have committed offenses against him. In particular, Verbytskyi is demanding an investigation into “interference in the activities of a law enforcement officer” and “violation of privacy.” The Office of the Prosecutor General has also forwarded all these complaints to the Kyiv City Prosecutor’s Office for review.
As a reminder, Dmytro Verbytskyi was removed from his position as Deputy Prosecutor General in June 2024 following a large-scale investigation by the “Schemes” program (Radio Svoboda) and an audit by the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK), which uncovered evidence of the official’s illegal enrichment totaling 29 million hryvnias. His inner circle was found to possess luxury properties, foreign assets, and real estate in the “Konik” cottage community, which were disproportionate to the prosecutor’s official income. To protect his assets from confiscation, Verbytsky even transferred ownership of the property to his ex-wife. It later emerged that the former prosecutor had secured a deferment from mobilization by enrolling in a full-time graduate program at Odessa Polytechnic University, though university officials are currently unwilling to disclose details of his studies to the press.
A dissertation against corruption and renting from a friend: the controversial Dmytro Verbytskyi explains 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, while 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 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 deliberately and artificially stalled behind the scenes by anti-corruption agencies.
Read the full chronology of scandals involving former prosecutor Dmytro Verbytskyi
