Searches in Odesa Bureau of Economic Security: first details from SBI and BES

It has been reported that employees of the State Bureau of Investigation are conducting searches at the territorial office of the Bureau of Economic Security in Odesa region.

According to local journalist Iryna Hryb, law enforcement officers are checking for possible tax evasion by several grain traders, which may be part of a scheme to fraudulently engage in the grain market.

Intent contacted the press service of the BES Regional Office in Odesa region for comment and received a short answer.

"We are doing well, we are preparing a comment," the BES replied.

Intent also asked the State Bureau of Investigation for a comment, where they confirmed the information about the searches.

"The searches at the BES are conducted by employees of the SBI central office, not the SBI regional office in Mykolaiv, so it is not my responsibility to comment," the statement said.

Journalist Taras Seredich writes about the involvement of the heads of the Odesa Prosecutor's Office and local customs in the criminal scheme. According to him, the scheme was run by Dmytro Verbytskyi, a former deputy of former Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin.

According to unconfirmed information, an investigation is underway into the so-called "grain corridor" scheme. It is about more than UAH 10 billion in losses for the state that arose as a result of tax evasion by a number of grain traders.

"Of course, the difference in amounts went into the pockets of specific individuals. We are talking about the heads of the local BES, customs and the Odesa Prosecutor's Office. Rumor has it that the scheme was supervised by a former deputy of the former Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi, who, unlike Kostin, left the prosecutor's office but did not retire from the case. And the NABU and the NAPC never bothered to actively investigate the criminal proceedings for Verbytskyi's illicit enrichment. The case is languishing on the shelf," the journalist said.

Last week, Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced that he was resigning from his post due to the facts of abuse in the system of prosecution bodies of Ukraine. Subsequently, the Verkhovna Rada approved the resignation of Andriy Kostin from the post of Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

In July 2022, the Parliament supported the appointment of Andrii Kostin to the post of Prosecutor General with 299 MPs voting in favor. Andrii Kostin is a native of Odesa and a graduate of Mechnikov Odesa National University with a degree in Law. He is the Deputy Chairman of the Bar Council of Odesa Region and Deputy Chairman of the Presidium of the Odesa Regional Bar Association.

In April, some media outlets cited their sources as saying that the President was planning to transfer Andriy Kostin as ambassador to the Netherlands and appoint Oleh Kiper, head of the Odesa regional administration, as his replacement.

Ірина Глухова