A Verkhovna Rada committee is demanding explanations from NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office regarding the two-year delay in the case of former prosecutor Verbytsky
The Verkhovna Rada Committee on Law Enforcement directly appealed to the leadership of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), demanding a response to the delays in the investigation into former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
Committee Chair Serhiy Ionushas officially forwarded a letter from the online media outlet UA.NEWS regarding the ineffectiveness of the investigation directly to the anti-corruption agencies, as evidenced by a document, a copy of which is available to the editorial staff.
In his letter, the Committee Chair refers to the official inquiry from UA.NEWS journalists, who pointed out evidence of possible misconduct in the pretrial investigation of criminal case No. 52024000000000231, which was opened on May 13, 2024, under the article on illegal enrichment.
“In accordance with the provisions of Part 3 of Article 7 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Citizens’ Appeals,’ we are forwarding the aforementioned appeal for verification of the arguments set forth therein and for an appropriate response within the scope of your authority,” — reads the official document signed by Serhiy Ionushas.
The chair of the relevant committee issued a clear directive to the directors of NABU and the SAPO: to verify the journalists’ arguments within the timeframe established by law and to officially inform both the parliamentary committee and the editorial staff of the online media outlet UA.NEWS of the results of the review.
As a reminder, Dmytro Verbytskyi was removed from his position as Deputy Prosecutor General in the summer of 2024 following a series of investigations by the “Schemes” project (Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty). Journalists exposed instances of corruption: luxury housing in the “Konik” residential complex, purchased for a pittance, and the official’s girlfriend’s assets worth one million dollars (a cottage, a Porsche, and a beauty salon), which did not match her official income. Subsequently, the former prosecutor’s family was also found to own real estate abroad in Turkey.
Despite the obvious body of evidence and public outcry, NABU and the SAPO, after two years of investigation, failed to announce charges against any of the individuals involved in the case, which forced UA.NEWS journalists to seek assistance from parliamentary oversight bodies.
At the same time, the validity of the anti-corruption allegations against Verbytskyi was confirmed by an administrative court. Specifically, on February 25, 2026, the Kyiv District Administrative Court issued a ruling in case No. 320/749/25, in which it completely rejected the former prosecutor’s appeal against the results of the NACP’s monitoring of his lifestyle, confirming the legality of the identified signs of a crime. In addition to directly appealing to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the Verkhovna Rada’s Law Enforcement Committee sent a similar request to the Office of the Prosecutor General to investigate the detectives’ actions.
Earlier, the editorial staff of the online media outlet UA.NEWS sent a follow-up request to People’s Deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak, chairman of the Verkhovna Rada’s Temporary Investigative Commission (TIC) on the investigation of possible unlawful actions by officials of state authorities, other state bodies, andstate-owned enterprises in the public sector that could have harmed Ukraine’s economic security—Yaroslav Zheleznyak—requesting that he take parliamentary action to investigate the illegal enrichment of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
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).
It was recently reported that former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi 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 badly 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 of Ukraine (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 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.
Previously, the controversial former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who was dismissed following an investigation into illegally acquired luxury property, was unable to “clear” his assets through the courts. The Kyiv District Administrative Court confirmed that the conclusion by NACP investigators—that Verbytsky had 37.5 million “excess” hryvnias—is lawful.
