French court approves plea deal in case of ex-head of Odesa regional administration

A Paris court has approved a judicial settlement agreement in the case of a French company related to possible bribery and other criminal offenses in the case of the Polygraph Plant Ukraine.

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

According to the court decision of the French court, EUR 3 million 377 thousand (approximately UAH 163 million at the NBU exchange rate) will be transferred to the budget of Ukraine. These funds have already been blocked on a special account, and the transfer will take place in the near future.

In 2023, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the arrest in absentia for Maksym Stepanov, former director of the state-owned enterprise Polygraph Combine and head of the Odesa Regional State Administration.

According to the SAPO, this is the first time in the history of Ukraine that actual compensation for damages has been provided based on the results of the activities of an international joint investigation team. Ukraine, Estonia and France have joined forces to investigate international bribery, misappropriation of budget funds and their legalization. The object of the international investigation was the state-owned enterprise Polygraph Plant Ukraine. The former director organized a scheme to misappropriate funds: under the risk of contract termination, he forced a foreign supplier to work through a controlled company in Estonia, demanded that the French company transfer copyright and received illegal royalty payments for this. As a result, the cost of materials for the state-owned enterprise increased several times, and the losses exceeded EUR 20.5 million.

In December 2024, the Ukrainian side secured a plea agreement with a person close to the former head of the Polygraph Plant. The High Anti-Corruption Court passed a verdict: the accused compensated UAH 14.5 million in damages, paid UAH 2 million to help the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and provided critical incriminating evidence against six people.

In June, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office sent to court a case against Maksym Stepanov, former director of the state-owned Polygraph Plant and head of the Odesa Regional State Administration, and five other individuals. The investigation was carried out by a joint investigation team (JIT) of Ukraine, France, and Estonia under the coordination of Eurojust.

Кирило Бойко