The NABU and the SAPO, together with the Security Service of Ukraine, uncovered a corruption scheme involving the misappropriation of agricultural produce from state enterprises within the structure of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences of Ukraine. One of the suspects is likely MP Anatolii Hunko, whom the HACC previously found guilty of incitement to offer a bribe and fraud; that case is currently under appellate review.

Hunko is suspected under Article 27(3) and Article 191(5) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Notices of suspicion were also served on:

• a co-organizer, a member of the Kyiv Regional Council — under Article 27(3) and Article 191(5);
• two heads of state enterprises within the NAAS structure — under Article 191(5);
• an accessory — under Article 27(5) and Article 191(5).

According to investigators, in 2021 Hunko, acting in collusion with the director of one of the research farms and an accessory, ensured the unlawful harvesting and removal of 990 tons of sunflower seeds and 1.4 thousand tons of corn, with a total value of UAH 27.3 million. The products were transported to private grain storage facilities controlled by the suspects in Chernihiv and Poltava regions. 

In 2022, the suspects allegedly implemented a similar scheme at another research station, shipping an additional 203 tons of sunflower seeds to controlled private warehouses. To conceal the offence, the actual amount of harvested crops was not reflected in the shipping documents. Overall, the damage to the state is estimated at UAH 30 million.