The Verbytsky Case on Hold: UA.NEWS Calls on the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement to Address the "Silence" from NABU and SAPO
The editorial staff of the online media outlet UA.NEWS has appealed to Serhiy Ionushas, Chair of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement, requesting that he take parliamentary action in response to the apparent delay in the investigation into the case of illicit enrichment involving former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
Journalists emphasize that despite the fact that criminal case No. 52024000000000231 was opened back in May 2024, the NABU and SAPO have not announced a single charge in two years of investigation. This raises reasonable doubts about the impartiality of the investigation and the presence of external influence on law enforcement officials.
The court upheld the NACP’s position
A key factor in the case was the decision of the Kyiv District Administrative Court dated February 25, 2026 (Case No. 320/749/25). The court fully dismissed Verbytskyi’s lawsuit against the NACP, confirming the validity of the agency’s conclusions regarding signs of illicit enrichment. As a reminder, back in July 2024, the NACP officially submitted a substantiated conclusion to the NABU regarding the inconsistency between the prosecutor’s lifestyle and his official income.
A Trail of Luxury
The investigation was prompted by numerous journalistic reports about Verbytsky’s lavish lifestyle. These included:
- The purchase of a house for half a million dollars—six times below market value;
- Luxury Porsche cars, real estate in Turkey, and Birkin bags worth $28,000 among his associates;
- Scandalous “gangster-style” celebrations following his dismissal from the prosecutor’s office.
Demands to Parliament
UA.NEWS calls on the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement to exercise its oversight functions and send parliamentary inquiries to the director of NABU and the head of the SAPO regarding the reasons for the delays in the investigation. The publication also requests an investigation into possible inaction by the pre-trial investigation authorities. It is important to ensure parliamentary oversight of compliance with reasonable timeframes in a case that is critical to building public trust in anti-corruption agencies.
The editorial board continues to exercise ongoing journalistic oversight of the case’s progress and awaits an official response from the relevant Verkhovna Rada committee.
As a reminder, UA.News journalists link Verbytskyi to the logistics business at the Pivdennyi Port. There are suspicions that a scheme was in place there: ships carrying cargo were detained under fabricated pretexts, and $100,000 or more was demanded for a “quick resolution of the issue.” Such schemes could have been the actual source of funds for the purchase of a Porsche and Turkish apartments.
It recently came to light 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 Odessa regional branch of the “Batkivshchyna” party confirmed in response to a request from UA.News that Verbytskyi is already a member of Yulia Tymoshenko’s party.
Additionally, UA.NEWS received a response from the State Financial Monitoring Service of Ukraine to its inquiry to the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK) regarding the application of enhanced financial monitoring to former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi as a “politically exposed person” (PEP).
Incidentally, former top SBU official Artem Shyl and former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi have been linked to influence schemes featured in the so-called “Mindich tapes.” This is stated in a post by politician Boryslav Bereza, published amid renewed discussions of the recordings, which mention the names of officials and businessmen and discuss personnel decisions within government agencies.
