Case description
The HACC found guilty Oleksandr Bulavchenko, former freelance advisor to the director of the Black Sea Port, and Olena Novichkova, former port official, who promised to influence the then acting director of the port in return for a bribe.
The backstory of the case begins with the fact that private enterprise European Agro Investment Ukraine rented the real estate of Chornomorsk Port in the Odesa region for 49 years. After a while, the company was unable to pay the rent, so it decided to declare bankruptcy, and in September 2020, the court began hearing the case. During the bankruptcy proceedings, private company TRIAR Ukraine LLC, applied to the court to become an investor in the rehabilitation of European Agro Investment Ukraine; the company was represented by the former director of the bankrupt company.
In 2020, Novichkova and Bulavchenko offered Oksana Shubko, director of European Agro Investment Ukraine, to pay USD 424,000 (UAH 12 million) in bribes. For these funds, Novichkova and Bulavchenko promised to ensure the conclusion of an agreement on the assignment of debt claim in favor of another company. To do this, they had to influence the acting port director.
To implement the criminal plan, Dmytro Travinov, director of Avtotekhtsentr LLC was involved in the scheme; the money was supposed to be transferred to the account of this company under the guise of a financial and business transaction.
Dmytro Travinov is also involved in the case of demanding USD 250,000 in bribes. According to the prosecution, together with Ihor Shevchenko, the head of SE Chornomorsk Sea Trade Port, he demanded money for approval of the rehabilitation plan of the bankrupt private company.
Novichkova and Bulavchenko's actions were classified under Article 369-2(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The defendants concluded plea agreements under which they received UAH 42,500 each. They also pledged to donate UAH 1 million each to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Dmytro Travinov, who is also involved in the case, was put on the wanted list.
