High Anti-Corruption Court Confirms Confiscation of ₴5.65M Mercedes-Benz Linked to Corruption in Odesa

The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the decision to confiscate the Mercedes-Benz G400 D car used by Andriy Moraru, head of the migration control department of the State Migration Service in Odesa region .

This was reported by the State Bureau of Investigation.

The official registered the luxury SUV worth UAH 5.65 million for his mother in 2023.

However, neither his salary nor his mother's official income allowed for such a purchase. The court found that the car was purchased with funds of unknown origin and ordered that it be transferred to state ownership.

Earlier, the State Bureau of Investigation exposed a large-scale corruption scheme in the Migration Service of Odesa region. Officials demanded $20,000 for "helping" a foreigner obtain documents. During the searches, they were found to have large sums of money, jewelry, cryptocurrency, and property worth over UAH 140 million.

The investigation found that the official had registered not only an elite car, but also a large 200-square-meter house, land plots, shops, and other real estate to his mother. At the same time, his official annual income in 2023 amounted to only UAH 345 thousand.

The Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office filed a lawsuit demanding that these assets be recognized as illegally acquired.

In addition, the NACP found that Andriy Moraru failed to declare a 2021 Audi RS Q8 purchased in April 2023 for UAH 500 thousand through Unicars, a company associated with scandalous businessman Borys Kaufman. In addition, the declaration does not indicate the 200.5 sq. m. house in Odesa that the official used during the year and the land plot on which it is located.

The official also failed to report his wife's apartment, purchased in 2022 for UAH 1.84 million, as well as his children, who did not officially live with him. Moraru also submitted false information about his salary. In the declaration, he indicated an annual income of UAH 345,116, although according to the state register, his actual salary was UAH 428,715.

In total, the official failed to declare property, assets and income worth more than UAH 83 million. The NACP forwarded the materials to law enforcement agencies under Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine regarding false information.

Ірина Глухова