The SBI conducted searches involving Kobolyev’s wife, former Deputy Minister of Economy Panaiotidi

The SBI conducted searches involving Kobolyev’s wife, former Deputy Minister of Economy Panaiotidi

The State Bureau of Investigation is conducting searches at the former Deputy Minister of Economy Svitlana Panaiotidi.

This was reported by the lawyer of the former official, Taras Poshyvanyuk.

According to him, the searches are being conducted in connection with a 2021 case, but the investigators only showed the criminal case number.

"We don’t have any extract or other data because there is no court order and we were not provided with a resolution," said the lawyer.

Poshyvanyuk also could not confirm the exact case regarding which searches are being conducted at Panaiotidi’s residence but specified that it is related to decisions of the Antimonopoly Committee.

Svitlana Panaiotidi held the position of Deputy Minister of Economy under Ihor Petrashko from 2019 to 2021 and was a state commissioner of the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine from 2015 to 2019.

It should be noted that Svitlana Panaiotidi is married to former chairman of the board of Naftogaz Ukraine, Andriy Kobolyev. In January 2023, law enforcement authorities notified Kobolyev of suspicion regarding the illegal receipt of a bonus (allegedly 200 million UAH more than allowed by law). According to the investigation, in May 2018, the then chairman of Naftogaz Ukraine issued an order contrary to legal requirements, awarding bonuses to company employees, including himself, of nearly 261 million UAH "for outstanding achievements." This was related to a favorable decision in the case concerning the natural gas purchase and sale contract from 2009 to 2019.