The SSU Counterintelligence and the National Police have collected evidence against the organizers of a corruption scheme involving funds from the state passport service, the state-owned enterprise Document.

According to the investigation, the perpetrators stole over UAH 21 million (USD 501 000) between 2022 and 2023.

Eight former and current officials of the state-owned enterprise Document are involved in the scheme, including three senior managers.

While in office after the start of the full-scale war, they set up a criminal mechanism to obtain money from their subordinates.

To do this, the officials organized the payment of ‘double’ salaries to employees of the state-owned enterprise’s central office who were sent to a passport service branch in a neighbouring EU country.

According to the investigation, the employees on secondment received one salary in Ukraine and the other on a foreign bank card for fictitious services.

The personnel who received double salaries transferred part of these funds to the organizers of the criminal scheme as ‘kickbacks’.

Documents on the opening of accounts in foreign financial institutions and bank cards with evidence of the scheme were seized during searches.

Based on the evidence, eight former and current officials of the State Enterprise Document have been notified of suspicion under Article 191.4 of the CCU (embezzlement or misappropriation of property through abuse of official position).

The investigation is ongoing. The suspects face up to 8 years in prison.

The operation was carried out in cooperation with the State Migration Service of Ukraine and under the procedural supervision of Pechersk District Prosecutor’s Office of Kyiv.