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Ukrtelefilm money laundering case

  • Date of commencement of the case: 02/10/2019
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Ukrtelefilm money laundering case Ukrtelefilm money laundering case

Case description

On October 18, 2023, the HACC found former Ukrtelefilm CEO Viktor Pidlisnyi guilty in the case of alienation of the state-owned enterprise's property and having caused almost UAH 70 million in damages. He was sentenced to 5 years in prison and a fine.

NABU detectives began investigating the case of alienation of property at Ukrtelefilm in February 2018. In 2017–2018, Vasyl Zaverkhovskyi, director of Lodoks LLC, together with Viktor Pidlisnyi, former head of Ukrtelefilm, Yaroslav Kurhun, a representative of the commercial structure, and Oleksandra Hudz, a lawyer, alienated property rights to 67 real estate objects in the capital.

 

The property in question includes 24 apartments with a total area of 2,704 square meters, 7 non-residential premises, and 36 parking spaces. All of them were transferred to Lodoks LLC for UAH 14.5 million in violation of the procedure and without the mandatory approval of the State Committee for Television and Radio Broadcasting of Ukraine. This is 80% of the assets owned by the State Enterprise.

In addition, the price turned out to be too low: Ukrtelefilm's accounting department reported that the apartments and non-residential premises alone were valued at more than UAH 42 million. Instead, a sales agreement of property rights was concluded worth UAH 13.5 mln.

Subsequently, Lodoks LLC sold the acquired immovable property to Bartion Group LLC with the aim of legalization at a price four times lower than the market price. 

The Commercial Court of Kyiv recognized the sales agreement as invalid thanks to the NABU-SAPO; the appellate and cassation instances agreed with the ruling. The procedure of re-registering the property rights in favor of Ukrtelefilm is currently underway. 

According to the investigation, Hudz financed the process of state registration of property rights, taking into account the seizures imposed on them, paid for the legalization of property, gave or intended to give bribes, awarded Zaverkhovskyi, etc.

Yaroslav Kurhun, another alleged organizer, was tried in absentia—he is in Italy, and extradition was denied due to the start of the full-scale invasion. Despite this, Kurhun remains on the international wanted list. He is charged with Article 364, part 2; Article 209, part 3; and Article 358, parts 3, 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Pidlisnyi was charged with Article 358, part 4 and Article 364, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The HACC sentenced the former official to 5 years in prison with a fine of UAH 17,000 and a ban on holding certain positions for three years.

The actions of Zaverkhovskyi, head of Lodoks, were classified under Article 358, part 4; Article 364, part 2; and Article 209, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He was sentenced to 8 years in prison, a fine of UAH 17,000, confiscation of half of his property, and a ban on holding certain positions for three years.

Hudz was tried under Article 364, part 2; Article 209, part 3; and Article 358, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Since she concluded a plea agreement, the court ruled that she shall get a suspended sentence with a probationary period of 3 years and a fine of UAH 8,500.

  • Proceeding No.: 52019000000000355
  • Case No.: 991/476/19 show all cases hide other cases
  • Other court cases No.: 991/237/22
  • Incriminated: Article 191, part 5, Article 364, part 2, Article 209, part 3
Instance Key parties Instance /Key parties:
HACC AC
24/11/2023

Panel of judges: Pavlyshyn O.F.

HACC
02/10/2019

Panel of judges: Bilous I.O., Kravchuk O.O., Kruk Ye.V.

Lawyer: Lakushy A.V., Zvenihorodskoho V.M., Paliienka O.A., Dobrianskoho A.M., Lazarevoi L.L.

Prosecutor: Krychun V.V., Sniehirov O.M.

Infographics

THE CASE OF UKRTELEFILM

Viktor Pidlisnyi, former Ukrtelefilm CEO, together with Vasyl Zaverkhovskyi, director of a private company, and accomplices, alienated the property of the state-owned enterprise worth more than UAH 14 million.

  • June 12, 2017
    Pidlisnyi concluded an agreement with Lodoks LLC, under which property worth UAH 13.5 million was to be alienated
  • December 19, 2017
    An additional agreement was concluded between the state enterprise and the private firm, which increased the price of the property to UAH 14.5 million, and a service acceptance certificate was signed
  • February 12, 2018
    NABU detectives launched investigation into the scheme
  • pic
    February 6, 2019
    The NABU-SAPO served Zaverkhovskyi, Hidz, and Pidlisnyi with suspicion notices
  • pic
    March 26, 2019
    the NABU-SAPO served Kurhun with a suspicion notice in absentia
  • pic
    February 8, 2019
    The court sent Hudz under nightly house arrest
  • February 12, 2019
    The court seized Hudz's cash found during a search of her apartment
  • pic
    April 21, 2022
    he HACC ruled that Hudz shall get a 5-year suspended sentence and a fine of UAH 8,500 based on a plea agreement. She must reimburse UAH 269,500
  • pic
    October 18, 2023
    the HACC sentenced Pidlisnyi and Zaverkhovskyi to 5 and 8 years in prison, respectively
  • November 24, 2023
    the HACC AC opened appellate proceedings

Decisions from the Register

Case No. Court Decision date Decision type
991/476/19 HACC 02/10/2019 On the appointment of a preparatory court hearing
991/476/19 HACC 17/10/2019 On the appointment of a trial
991/476/19 HACC 24/09/2020
991/476/19 HACC 24/09/2020
991/476/19 HACC 09/10/2020
991/476/19 HACC 08/12/2020
991/476/19 HACC 08/12/2020
991/476/19 HACC 08/02/2021
991/476/19 HACC 08/02/2021 Decision to cancel the seizure of property
991/476/19 HACC 16/02/2021
991/476/19 HACC 16/02/2021
991/476/19 HACC 07/04/2021
991/476/19 HACC 07/04/2021 Decision to cancel the seizure of property
991/476/19 HACC 07/04/2021 Decision to cancel the seizure of property
991/476/19 HACC 07/04/2021 Decision to cancel the seizure of property
991/476/19 HACC 08/06/2021
991/476/19 HACC 08/06/2021
991/476/19 HACC 08/06/2021 Decision to cancel the seizure of property
991/476/19 HACC 08/06/2021
991/476/19 HACC 10/06/2021
991/476/19 HACC 10/06/2021
991/476/19 HACC 25/10/2021
991/476/19 HACC 25/10/2021
991/476/19 HACC 13/01/2022
991/476/19 HACC 13/01/2022
991/476/19 HACC 27/01/2022
991/476/19 HACC 27/01/2022 Decision to cancel the seizure of property
991/476/19 HACC 21/04/2022
991/476/19 HACC 21/04/2022
991/476/19 HACC 05/05/2022 Decision on closing the criminal proceedings
991/476/19 HACC 13/05/2022 Decision on closing the criminal proceedings
991/237/22 HACC 24/05/2022 Verdicts
991/476/19 HACC 18/08/2022 Decision on temporary access
991/476/19 HACC 18/08/2022 Decision on temporary access
991/476/19 HACC 07/09/2022
991/476/19 HACC 07/09/2022
991/476/19 HACC 10/04/2023
991/476/19 HACC 10/04/2023
991/476/19 HACC 10/04/2023
991/476/19 HACC 10/04/2023
991/476/19 HACC 19/07/2023
991/476/19 HACC 19/07/2023
991/476/19 HACC 18/10/2023 Verdicts
991/476/19 HACC AC 24/11/2023 Opening of appeal proceedings
991/476/19 HACC AC 24/11/2023 On leaving the appeal without action
991/476/19 HACC AC 04/12/2023
991/476/19 HACC AC 04/12/2023
991/476/19 HACC AC 04/12/2023
991/476/19 HACC 05/12/2023
991/476/19 HACC AC 13/12/2023
991/476/19 HACC AC 23/01/2024
991/476/19 HACC AC 05/03/2024 Opening of appeal proceedings
991/476/19 HACC AC 05/03/2024 Decision on renewal of the term of appeal
991/476/19 HACC AC 05/03/2024
991/476/19 HACC AC 11/03/2024
991/476/19 HACC AC 03/04/2024
991/476/19 HACC AC 03/04/2024
991/476/19 HACC AC 04/06/2024
991/476/19 HACC AC 04/06/2024