The Office of the Prosecutor General has submitted an indictment to the court against a former member of parliament suspected of organizing a large-scale scheme for the appropriation of state property. This was reported by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko.
This is reported by Finway
Organized Criminal Scheme for the Appropriation of the Oil Pipeline
The name of the ex-deputy is not officially disclosed; however, details of the case point to Viktor Medvedchuk. According to the investigation, from 2015 to 2018, the former parliamentarian created and led an organized group that seized part of the main oil product pipeline “Samara – Western Direction” valued at UAH 1.4 billion. The group members engaged experts to create false conclusions in courts and abused their official powers to gain control over the strategic facility.
“The investigation established that between 2015 and 2018, the ex-MP created and led an organized group that effectively stole part of the main oil product pipeline from the state. At that time, the value of the facility was UAH 1.4 billion,” Kravchenko stated.
After seizing the pipeline, it was used for personal enrichment. According to the prosecution, the group members legalized over €29.9 million in income obtained from the illegal operation of the facility.
Sanctions, Arrests, and the Search for Scheme Participants
Since the suspect is located in the territory of the Russian Federation, the investigation was conducted in absentia. Materials regarding other participants in the scheme have been allocated to a separate proceeding, and they are currently wanted. In July 2024, Viktor Medvedchuk and four accomplices, who were part of the former management of the company “Prykarpattrans”, were officially notified of suspicion of appropriating the oil pipeline.
On February 19, 2024, the National Security and Defense Council made a decision regarding the return of part of the oil pipeline “Samara – Western Direction” to state ownership. On the same day, sanctions were imposed against 19 legal entities and eight individuals, including Viktor Medvedchuk and his wife Oksana Marchenko.
On February 23 of the same year, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed an arrest on the section of the pipeline that runs through the territory of Ukraine. An attempt to appeal this decision in the appellate chamber of the court ended in refusal for LLC “Prykarpattrans”.
The oil product pipeline “Samara – Western Direction” has a length of 1,433 kilometers on the territory of Ukraine. This strategic facility connects Ukraine with Russia and Belarus and stretches to the western border of the country.