Former MP Hranovskyi pleads guilty in OPP case

The High Anti-Corruption Court has approved a plea agreement between the investigation and the defendants in the Odesa Port Plant case, including former MP Oleksandr Hranovskyi.

This was reported by the press service of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.

The former MP was found guilty of interfering with the activities of a public official and sentenced to a fine of UAH 51,000, the maximum fine provided for by the Criminal Code for this crime.

A former deputy director and head of one of the OPP's departments were found guilty of intentional abuse of office committed by a group of individuals with prior conspiracy, which led to serious consequences for the state interests. The three individuals were released from serving their sentences due to the expiration of the statute of limitations for bringing them to criminal liability.

A former member of the board of the OPP and the company's owner were found guilty of organizing abuse of office committed by prior conspiracy by a group of individuals, which caused serious consequences for the public interest, and were sentenced to three years in prison with disqualification to hold positions in the management bodies of state-owned enterprises for a period of one year and a fine of UAH 17,000. However, they will not go to prison, as the actual punishment was replaced by a probationary period of two years.

According to the plea agreement, the defendants are obliged to fully compensate Odesa Port Plant JSC for losses in the amount of UAH 77.5 million within four months from the date the verdict enters into force.

The case concerns the suspicion that the MP organized a scheme that operated from March to December 2015, which resulted in the plant losing more than UAH 94 million in revenue. In March 2020, the investigation notified four participants in the scheme of suspicion, including the former MP's trustee, the plant's deputy director, the head of the OPP department, and the owner of a non-resident company involved in the corruption scheme. In November 2022, the NABU put Oleksandr Hranovskyi on the wanted list.

According to the investigation, the former MP organized a scheme whereby the plant sold mineral fertilizers at reduced prices to a predetermined company. This company resold the goods to foreign companies at market prices, but the actual delivery was made by the OPP.

In August 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court canceled the suspicion against the former MP in this case. At the same time, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office <u>reported at the same time</u>that it did not agree with this decision and appealed it.

Кирило Бойко