Scandal in DPS: Acting the deputy chairman is suspected of dishonesty and unreliable declaration

Acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine (SST) Yevgeny Sokur is suspected of serious violations that call into question his integrity and suitability for the position he holds. In particular, the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) is conducting an investigation into the declaration of possibly unreliable data by one of the country’s chief tax officers, writes UNN.

Earlier UNN told that acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service, Yevgeny Sokur entered probably unreliable data in the declaration for 2023. In particular, he did not indicate the data about his roommate in the document. During the investigation into the case of the alleged attempt on him, Sokur himself told the law enforcement officers that since 2016 he has been living with a girl named Alina in an apartment on Lobanovskyi Avenue, 6-D. However, in his declarations, Sokur never mentioned his roommate. After the parliamentary appeal of Nina Yuzhanina, a member of the Verkhovna Rada’s Committee on Finance, Tax and Customs Policy, the NAZK started an investigation into Yevgeny Sokur. The head of the Public Council at the NAZK, Kateryna Butko, noted that the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is checking whether Sokur lived together with his roommate Alina.

Dmytro Kasyanenko, the lawyer of AB “Kasyanenko and Partners” explained that officials must indicate in the declaration not only family members – spouse and children, but also their roommates.

The Law of Ukraine “On Prevention of Corruption” requires civil servants to declare not only their personal property and income, but also the property and income of their family members, which also includes persons who live together, lead a common life and have mutual rights and obligations ties (Article 1 of the Law). If Yevgeny Sokur has been living with a roommate since 2016, but did not indicate this data in his declarations, this may be a violation of the legislation on financial control,

Lawyers interviewed UNNnote that in the event of detection of inconsistencies in Sokur’s lifestyle with the declared data, he may face administrative and even criminal liability.

In particular, in the case of detection of unreliable data in Sokur’s declaration in the amount of 100 to 500 subsistence minimums (about 268,400 to 1,342,000 UAH for 2024), a fine in the amount of 17,000 to 42,500 UAH is provided.

If the inaccurate information in the declaration concerns the amount of more than 500 subsistence minimums (about UAH 1,342,000), then criminal liability is provided for this in accordance with Art. 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — submission of knowingly false information in the declaration. The sanction of this article provides for a fine from UAH 42,500 to UAH 51,000, or restriction of liberty for a term of up to 2 years, or imprisonment for a term of up to 2 years with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for a term of up to 3 years.

Another important basis for doubting the integrity of one of Ukraine’s chief tax officers is the fact that Sokur, according to media reports, used the so-called zero declaration mechanism, which was introduced to legalize previously undeclared assets. This mechanism allowed him to legalize 2.5 million hryvnias, the origin of which he could not explain. The lack of a transparent explanation of the source of these funds raises even greater suspicions about their legal origin.

The criminal proceedings opened by the State Bureau of Investigation on November 4, 2022 under Part 3 of Art. 365 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (exceeding power or official authority by a law enforcement officer, which led to serious consequences).

It was about the alleged excess of official authority by the acting deputy head of the DPS of Ukraine, Yevgeny Sokur, who on October 26, 2022, adopted an order to cancel the license of PJSC “Ukrtatnafta” for the production of fuel. According to the investigation, such actions of Sokur caused grave consequences for society, as well as for the state, in the form of the impossibility of fulfilling the Ministry of Defense’s mobilization tasks for the production and supply of petroleum products for the needs of defense and defense capabilities of the state. Currently, the fate of this criminal proceeding is not known for sure.

Dishonesty and questionable actions on the part of a high-level official who runs one of the key government structures can undermine public confidence in the tax system as a whole. If the facts about the abuse are confirmed, Yevgeny Sokur has no right to remain in a position that requires compliance with the highest standards of ethics and transparency, and his continued stay in this position will pose a threat to the image and functioning of the DPS.

We will remind

Earlier UNN told that the attempt on acting of the Deputy Head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine, Yevhen Sokur, raises many questions about its credibility. It could have been staged to divert attention from the criminal proceedings against Sokur for abuse of office.