On July 24, 2025, the HACC continued questioning witnesses in the case concerning the bonuses paid to Andrii Koboliev following the victory of NAK Naftogaz over Gazprom in the Stockholm arbitration.
This time, the court heard testimony from Serhii Popyk — a Ukrainian diplomat, former head of the National Accreditation Agency of Ukraine, and an adviser to the Prime Minister on international affairs in 2016–2019. He was also a member of the Naftogaz Supervisory Board. The prosecution questioned him, focusing on the details of how the bonus payments were decided.
How the bonuses were agreed
The prosecutor read out documents and asked who proposed the USD 10 million amount. The witness replied that this figure appeared after preliminary discussions within the Supervisory Board. When asked why the document with this sum bore Koboliev’s signature if it was not a Supervisory Board decision, Popyk said he did not know but noted that the board’s secretariat was managed by Maria Sukhan, and the key principles of awarding bonuses were agreed during a meeting in London, attended by about 40 experts. According to him, it was decided that the Supervisory Board would determine the size of the bonuses, while other matters would be referred to the management board and Koboliev for approval.
He added that the payments were planned in two tranches — after receiving the funds from Russia’s Gazprom. The board also discussed how to communicate the news to the public, as the amounts were substantial. The witness admitted that communication was a failure, although he personally hoped that part of the money would be allocated for humanitarian or charitable purposes. He described the public’s reaction to the bonuses as “envious.”
Whether there was document substitution
The court clarified whether the secretariat was aware of the USD 10 million bonus for Koboliev. Popyk confirmed that the information was known. The prosecutor also asked whether the Reward Committee meeting occurred first and only afterward Koboliev submitted an amended proposal with the specific figures. The witness did not directly confirm this but noted that such a sequence was possible. At the same time, he emphasized that there had been no document substitution.
What the prosecution alleges
According to the prosecution, in 2018 Andrii Koboliev issued an illegal order to award bonuses to employees “for extraordinary achievements,” based on which he himself received UAH 261 million.