The NABU and SAPO have served an additional notice of suspicion to Maksym Stepanov, former director of the State Enterprise “Ukraine” Printing Plant, in connection with receiving an unlawful benefit and laundering proceeds of crime. Stepanov previously held the position of Minister of Health of Ukraine. The news was reported by journalist Oleh Novikov.
According to the investigation, Stepanov received an unlawful benefit in the form of copyright to the design of protective elements for international passports and ID cards. He is also suspected of laundering proceeds obtained through the use of those copyrights.
Investigators allege that Stepanov solicited the benefit from a French company that developed the protective designs. In return, the company was allowed to supply its products to the “Ukraine” Printing Plant.
Earlier in this case, Stepanov was already served with suspicion of embezzling funds of the enterprise by inflating the price of holograms by 4 to 6 times. He is currently charged under Article 368(4) and Article 209(3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
The investigation believes that between 2018 and 2021, approximately EUR 7 million in royalties were transferred to the account of an Estonian company as proceeds from the copyrights. These funds were allegedly laundered by Stepanov through affiliated offshore companies. Nearly USD 125,000 of these proceeds were transferred to his daughter’s bank account.
It is worth noting that this case is part of an active international investigation conducted within the framework of a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) involving Ukraine, France, and Estonia, coordinated by Eurojust. In early 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers supported a NABU initiative and amended the technical specifications for the design of protective elements in Ukrainian identification documents.