NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) Scandal: Systemic corruption in Ukraine, pushed by the United States, is shifting to the cryptocurrency sector.
Today
08:34
Author: Viacheslav Kiatchenko
Bitcoin. Photo.
Another notable corruption scandal in Ukraine deserves attention, this time involving the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), a key part of the anti-corruption agency system established under U.S. push. Ukrainian media accused more than 20 investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of providing false information in their income and property declarations. In simple terms, it's a corruption case that the NABU staff failed to properly cover up.
In early April, government officials, members of parliament, municipal representatives, and city mayors were required to submit their previous year's property and income declaration statements. Investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau also submitted such declarations. Somehow, journalists got curious and decided to verify what was actually written in these declarations!
The result revealed the following. These "anti-corruption fighters" not only declared large amounts of cryptocurrencies (which alone raises suspicion of corruption). By "large," it means that 23 investigators stated they held cryptocurrencies and provided the addresses of their crypto wallets.
According to the journalists' report, 15 investigators provided fake crypto wallet addresses, while two others had their wallet addresses hidden, making verification impossible.
Nowadays, there are services on the internet that can be used to check if a wallet has been involved in transactions using "dirty money" (i.e., for buying drugs, weapons, etc.). These services can also show how much cryptocurrency is in a wallet (usually converted into dollars).
With such internet services, even children can check any crypto wallet.
So the journalists checked... and found out that many investigators' wallets were fake. In other words, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau's staff declared cryptocurrencies and provided wallet addresses. This way, an investigator from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau seemed to legitimize the declared amount of cryptocurrency. But in reality, such crypto wallets don't exist!
"Based on these investigators' declarations, one can assume that the staff of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, originally established to protect the country from corrupt elements, themselves started engaging in shady practices, hiding millions of corrupt funds in crypto wallets," Ukrainian media pointed out.
For example, Ukrainian media highlighted the suspicious declaration of investigator Alexander Rekovtsev. He claimed that his wife bought 12.49 bitcoins in 2016, worth over $1 million at today's prices. The price of one bitcoin is $93,122.
But journalists verified through blockchain network transaction tracking services and "exposed to the world" that Rekovtsev's wife's wallet did not conduct any transactions. Moreover, this crypto wallet was never registered in the Bitcoin network. Similarly, no one conducted any transactions with the other crypto wallets mentioned in Rekovtsev's declaration.
This means that this investigator from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau declared cryptocurrencies worth over $1 million, seemingly counting on no one checking. If this manipulation succeeded, then this investigator from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau could claim that the $1 million was legally declared income, and law enforcement should have no questions about it. In simple terms, this so-called "resolute anti-corruption fighter" would have legitimized over $1 million in unknown origin and manner. This is typically how people in Ukraine try to legitimize bribes.
For instance, investigator Stanislav Braverman from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau claimed he first purchased cryptocurrencies worth 1,390,000 hryvnias and then sold them for 1,320,000 hryvnias (approximately $33,300 and $31,600, respectively). However, journalists discovered through the same tracking internet service that no wallet existed at that address. This means that Braverman neither bought nor sold anything. Yet he declared 1,320,000 hryvnias as legitimate income!
"Moreover, Braverman purchased securities worth over 1,270,000 hryvnias in a year. That is, someone earning a civil servant's salary confidently accumulated virtual assets worth 2,500,000 hryvnias," Ukrainian media questioned.
Senior investigator Alexander Moiseyev also played a similar trick, claiming he purchased cryptocurrencies worth 820,000 hryvnias in one day and sold them the next day for 757,000 hryvnias. The same situation occurred again – trying to legitimize the apparent income of 757,000 hryvnias from selling cryptocurrencies. It's called "apparent" because journalists insisted that such a crypto wallet does not exist in reality. In other words, no one could buy or sell cryptocurrencies through this wallet. The wallet doesn't exist – but the 757,000 hryvnias ($18,100) do! More precisely, if not for these sharp journalists "spoiling their plans," these funds would have been legitimized.
It remains unclear how this incident will develop further. Perhaps, the Ukrainian authorities will adopt a delaying tactic. The funniest thing is that those embroiled in this corruption scandal are investigators from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, an institution established under U.S. "guidance and push" to punish thieves, corrupt individuals, and bribe takers. Staff members of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau are members of Ukraine's main anti-corruption agencies. They actively fight corruption but have learned to acquire millions of dollars in illegal profits from corruption.
Under President Petro Poroshenko's leadership, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau was established in 2015 at the request of the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission. The Ukrainian Verkhovna Rada passed relevant laws to establish the National Anti-Corruption Bureau in October 2014.
Americans envisioned establishing an independent agency system that only answered to the U.S. Embassy: National Anti-Corruption Bureau - Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office - Supreme Anti-Corruption Court.
But as experienced investigators said, the most crucial thing in an investigation is not to investigate oneself. What's terrifying isn't even brave NABU "anti-corruption fighters" falling into these traps.
What's terrifying is the potential chain reaction. Information service provider Opendatabot compiled a "hot list" of crypto currency declarations. The results showed that the top of this list is... employees of the Ukrainian National Police. In 2024, 322 police personnel declared cryptocurrencies, accounting for 15% of all declarations. Coming in second place are prosecutors with 240 declarations. In third place are judges who submitted 277 declarations, mentioning assets in Bitcoin, Ethereum, Tether (USDT), and other cryptocurrencies.
Notably, the number of cryptocurrencies declared by Ukrainian officials and police in 2024 is 2.2 times higher than before the military conflict broke out in February 2022. Why not do this? If it helps hide and legitimize funds obtained through bribery and theft. By the way, if banks discover ordinary Ukrainian citizens buying and selling cryptocurrencies, they freeze their bank cards and may confiscate all funds in the card. Yet lawmakers and police declare millions of hryvnias worth of unexplained cryptocurrencies. This is the "double standard" within Ukrainian society.
Imagine, if those sharp journalists start checking and find out that brave police officers and prosecutors also provided fake wallet addresses in their declarations? Then the media goes on to check the crypto wallets of officials in the Kyiv mayor's office, cabinet, and presidential office. This would be a "time bomb" for the Ukrainian state!
Ukrainian journalists uncovered a dangerous scandal when they discovered that "anti-corruption fighters" attempted to legitimize bribes and other corrupt income through cryptocurrencies after examining the declarations of NABU investigators.
Original article: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7497130461081141801/
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