Ukraine has recovered 450,000 euros from abroad in the Polygraphkombinat case
As a result of the successful work of a joint international investigative team from Ukraine, France, and Estonia, 450,000 euros were recovered from abroad in connection with a corruption case involving the state-owned enterprise “Polygraphkombinat ‘Ukraine’.” One of the accomplices in this corruption scheme fully admitted his guilt and agreed to compensate for the damages caused.
In accordance with the approved plea agreement, 400,000 euros will be transferred directly to the state-owned enterprise’s accounts, and 50,000 euros will be transferred to the “Come Back Alive” charitable foundation’s account.
These funds had been frozen in the defendant’s bank accounts in France since 2024 at the request of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO). Following the High Anti-Corruption Court’s decision to approve the plea agreement and with the official consent of the French National Financial Prosecutor’s Office, the freeze was lifted, and the funds were successfully transferred to Ukraine. This is not the first time assets have been returned in this case; in October 2025, the French company “Surys” transferred 3.373 million euros to Ukraine based on a similar procedural agreement.
An investigation by NABU and the SAP established that the state-owned enterprise had been purchasing materials from the French company at inflated prices through an Estonian front company. The former director of “Poligrafkombinat” received an unlawful benefit in return in the form of copyrights to the design of document security features. In total, eight individuals have been notified of their status as suspects in this criminal proceeding, which is being conducted under the auspices of Eurojust.
This was reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office on its official Telegram channel.
Former Health Minister Maksym Stapanov has been charged with a new offense as part of an international investigation into passport fraud. Stapanov is accused of receiving unlawful benefits in the form of copyrights to design elements of Ukrainian documents (the stylized trident and a map of Ukraine), as well as laundering over 7 million euros in income.
In July 2023, Stepanov became a suspect in a NABU criminal investigation into schemes at the “Ukraine” printing plant, and in September of that same year, he was arrested in absentia.
