Hetmantsev’s assistant Sokur tries to avoid persecution: what happens behind the scenes

Former acting Deputy Head of the State Tax Service Yevgeny Sokur is trying to find ways to avoid criminal liability for the violations he committed while working in the tax office. About this UNN it became known from own sources in law enforcement agencies.

On January 3, the Cabinet of Ministers annulled the decision to appoint the acting deputy head of the DPS of Ukraine, Yevgeny Sokur, a former assistant to People’s Deputy Danylo Hetmantsev. After that, the chairman of the Council’s tax committee announced that he had hired Sokur again.

“Now Sokur is worried, because he understands what is for what. He is now looking for possible solutions so that he is not brought to criminal responsibility,” the interlocutor said UNN.

Why is Sokur looking for a “compromise”?

Firstlycriminal proceedings have already been opened against Sokur for an official crime. It is related to his decision to cancel the fuel production license for Ukrtatnafta PJSC. Such actions of Sokur, according to the investigation, caused serious consequences for society, as well as for the state in the form of the impossibility of fulfilling the mobilization tasks of the Ministry of Defense for the production and supply of petroleum products for the needs of defense and defense capabilities of the state during the war. The State Bureau of Investigation reported UNNthat this criminal case is still under investigation.

Apparently, before his release from the tax office, Sokur was confident of his impunity, because he did not act independently, but on the instructions of Danylo Hetmantsev and hoped that he would “cover” him in front of the law enforcement officers.

Realizing that the loss of the chairman of the tax committee of the Council of influence on tax officials may become a signal for law enforcement officers to act more actively, Sokur realized that his patron is unlikely to be able to protect him from the SBI in the future.

Secondthere is a high probability that the detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine were interested in the activities of Sokur and Hetmantsev in the tax office. This happened after an incriminating interview of Iryna Zlenko, the former head of the Khmelnytskyi tax region. In particular, she noted that an organized criminal group led by Hetmantsev and his right-hand man, Yevgeny Sokur, operated in the tax office.

Hetmantsev’s “watchers” and racketeering instead of the law: the brutal truth about the work of the DPS from Khmelnytskyi tax inspector Iryna Zlenko16.12.24, 09:43 • 194379 views

Thirdlythe National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) is investigating a possible violation of anti-corruption legislation by Yevgeny Sokur.

Earlier, Yevgeny Sokur, during the investigation into the case of an alleged attempt on him, 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. In the Agency in response to the request UNN also confirmed that they monitor the official’s lifestyle. The head of the Public Council at the NAKC, Kateryna Butko, noted that the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption is checking whether Sokur lived together with his roommate Alina.

Later it turned out that Sokur lives with Alina Lebedeva. As indicated in the Youcontrol system, Alina Lebedeva registered the FOP on August 3, 2022. The main line of business is retailing of flowers, plants, seeds, fertilizers, pets and feed for them in specialized stores. It is worth noting that Sokur received a senior position in the tax office less than three months before – in May 2022. For a little more than a year of work during a full-scale war, things were going so well for Alina Lebedeva that on her birthday, November 1, 2023, she announced the opening of a flower boutique in the heart of the capital – in the business center “Leonardo”.

According to Serhii Dorotych, head of the #SaveFOP Movement, the breakthrough success of Sokur’s roommate can be related to another very interesting aspect – the legalization of funds with the help of her business.

Therefore, in addition to the NAZK protocol regarding the violation of anti-corruption legislation and entry into the register of corrupt persons, Sokur may also receive another criminal proceeding for the legalization or laundering of illegally obtained funds.

Arrangements behind the scenes

Sokur’s prospects in the near future do not look too rosy. That is why, according to the UNN source, he is trying to use his connections and influence to somehow settle the situation.

One of the key figures who may try to influence the course of investigations is Danylo Hetmantsev. He had previously publicly supported Sokur, even despite the latter’s toxic reputation.

Experts assume that Hetmantsev, protecting Sokur, acts not only out of friendship or trust, but also out of a desire to control a former subordinate who may have compromising material.

“Hetmantsev didn’t just make a statement – he already took him back to himself. They are just playing a comedy with us,” – believes Dorotych.

At the same time, he does not rule out that Hetmantsev will try to “push” his protégé into a new position. “Sokur, I do not rule out that he may appear in some new position in the near future,” he said.

The situation surrounding Sokur continues to develop, and his actions attract more and more attention from the public and anti-corruption authorities. Will Sokuru manage to avoid responsibility? This issue remains open, but society has the right to demand a transparent investigation and justice.