Former official of Odesa Migration Service is on trial

An official of the Migration Service suspected of illicit enrichment of more than UAH 13 million will be tried in Odesa. The investigation found a significant discrepancy between his official income and the value of his property, some of which he registered in the names of his relatives.

This was reported by the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation.

Law enforcement officers have completed an investigation against the head of the migration control department of the regional department of the State Migration Service in Odesa region and submitted an indictment to the court.

According to the investigation, the official, who was previously exposed for taking a bribe, has accumulated significant assets that do not correspond to his declared income. In particular, in June 2024, he was detained while receiving USD 20 thousand from foreigners for assistance in resolving migration issues for a Moldovan citizen.

To conceal the origin of the money, the officially registered property in his mother's name. The undeclared property includes a house in the center of Odesa with an area of more than 200 square meters with land worth more than UAH 7 million and a Mercedes-Benz G 400 D 2023, valued at more than UAH 5.6 million.

Law enforcement also found that through his relatives he actually controlled other real estate - office space, a recreation center, shops and land plots in Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi and Zatoka.

In addition, the declaration indicated 37 bitcoins allegedly belonging to his wife, but the investigation found that these assets were missing. The total amount of false information in the declaration exceeded 83 million.

The difference between the official's legitimate income and actual assets is more than 13 million and has no documentary evidence. A Mercedes car worth almost UAH 5.7 million has already been confiscated by court order.

The suspect has now been dismissed from his position and is in custody. He is charged with illicit enrichment, which is punishable by up to 10 years in prison.

The Center forPublic Investigations has already written that the official used controlled legal entities - Salve and Neonol - to implement the scheme of concealing assets. He kept the documents and seals of these companies at his place of residence and used them to register assets and create the appearance of their legal origin.

Andriy Morara was dismissed from his position in May 2025. Already in February, he was again suspected of illicit enrichment. This time, it was about the "forgotten" 13 million.

Анна Бальчінос