The verification failed: The NACP sought evidence of inaccuracies in former prosecutor Verbytskyi’s statements via the LUN platform
During an audit of the assets of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) attempted to verify his public explanations using Ukraine’s largest specialized service. In one of his interviews, Verbytskyi strongly asserted that the prices of properties owned by his associates were entirely in line with market rates, while the anti-corruption agency allegedly “takes figures from the internet” instead of simply visiting the developer’s website or checking publicly available price lists.
According to an official statement from the agency, the NACP submitted a formal written request directly to LUN KO LLC, which owns a popular platform for monitoring the primary housing market. However, the attempt to cross-check Verbytskyi’s claims against the service’s database came to nothing—as of the date the full review of the declaration was completed, no official response had been received from LUN KO LLC.
Nevertheless, the platform’s silence did not hinder the investigation. In the absence of a response, anti-corruption investigators performed final calculations of the real estate’s value using other available information—official registries, bank statements, and forensic expert reports.
As a result, the former official’s claim of “affordable market-rate housing” completely fell apart, and the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) documented evidence of Verbytskyi’s illicit enrichment totaling over 30 million hryvnias.
It was recently reported that former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who left his post amid scandal following investigations into illicit enrichment, has officially launched his political career. The Odesa regional branch of the “Batkivshchyna” All-Ukrainian Union, in response to a request from UA.News, confirmed that Verbytskyi is already a member of Yulia Tymoshenko’s party.
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, 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-like rent for 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 dodge 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 give them to you. I’ll give you the document. 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, let’s say, fully ready to go into politics yet. 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.
As a reminder, the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) has published the results of its investigation into former Deputy Prosecutor General Verbytskyi. The agency’s official documents completely refute the former official’s public statements regarding the alleged “transparency” of his assets and the existence of any “international audits.”
Earlier, as this publication learned, the Odesa regional branch of “Batkivshchyna” officially confirmed that Dmytro Verbytskyi is a member of the party. In response to previous inquiries, the Odesa branch noted that the party’s charter contains no restrictions for individuals with “relevant professional experience,” effectively ignoring a series of corruption scandals surrounding the former prosecutor and the existence of criminal proceedings by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).
