The Verbytsky Case: Members of Parliament forwarded a letter from UA.NEWS to the Office of the Prosecutor General requesting an investigation into the actions of NABU and SAPO
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine’s Committee on Law Enforcement has officially responded to an inquiry from the online media outlet UA.NEWS regarding a possible delay in the investigation into the case of former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
The chairman of the committee, People’s Deputy Serhiy Ionushas, sent an official request from the editorial office to the Office of the Prosecutor General to verify the facts presented by the journalists and to respond accordingly within the scope of its authority, as evidenced by a document in the possession of UA.NEWS.
The document states that the Committee received a letter from the onlinemedia outlet UA.NEWS regarding what the author considers to be the improper conduct of the pretrial investigation in criminal case No. 52024000000000231 dated May 13, 2024.
“As can be seen from the appeal, the author points to the ineffective investigation of the aforementioned criminal case and requests assistance, within the scope of the Committee’s authority, to ensure a full, comprehensive, and impartial investigation,” — reads the letter from Committee Chair Serhiy Ionushas addressed to the Office of the Prosecutor General.
In accordance with the provisions of the Law “On Citizens’ Appeals,” the Committee forwarded the materials of the journalistic investigation to the leadership of the Office of the Prosecutor General. The Committee Chair also demanded that prosecutors report the results of their review and the measures taken within the timeframe established by law to both the Committee itself and the author of the appeal from UA.NEWS.
As a reminder, the criminal case regarding the illegal enrichment (Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) against former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi and his associates was opened by NABU back in May 2024 following a high-profile investigation by the “Schemes” program (Radio Liberty). Journalists discovered that the official owned a luxury estate in the “Konik” residential complex, purchased for one-sixth of its market value, while his girlfriend possessed assets worth one million dollars that in no way corresponded to her official income. Subsequently, the family was also found to have foreign assets, including real estate in Turkey.
Although two years have passed since the case was opened, NABU and the SAPO have yet to announce charges against any of the individuals involved, and the case has not been referred to court. Due to the obvious delay in the proceedings and the violation of reasonable timeframes, the editorial staff of UA.NEWS appealed to the Verkhovna Rada to exercise its parliamentary oversight functions.
It is worth noting that a court had previously confirmed the validity of the allegations against the former prosecutor. On February 25, 2026, the Kyiv District Administrative Court fully sided with the National Agency for Corruption Prevention (NAZK), rejecting Verbytskyi’s appeal against the results of the monitoring of his lifestyle, which had officially documented signs of a corruption offense.
In addition, the editorial staff of the online media outlet UA.NEWS appealed to Anastasia Radina, deputy chair of the Temporary Investigative Commission (TIC) of the Verkhovna Rada, Anastasia Radina, requesting that she take parliamentary action regarding the possible delay in the investigation into the case of illegal enrichment involving former Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi.
In their official appeal, the journalists asked the MP to send inquiries to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) to determine why no charges have been filed in the criminal proceedings, which have been ongoing for over two years.
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 his political career, complaining to the cameras of investigative journalists: “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 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, 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 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 also: The Story of Dmytro Verbytskyi: A Complete Chronology of the Scandals Involving the Former Deputy Prosecutor General from Odesa
