SAPO initiated an investigation against MP Serhiy Shakhov due to undeclared property in Dubai

SAPO initiated an investigation against MP Serhiy Shakhov due to undeclared property in Dubai

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office has approached the acting Prosecutor General, Oleksiy Khomenko, with a proposal to initiate a criminal case against Serhiy Shakhov, a member of parliament from the "Dovira" group. The basis for this was a journalistic investigation mentioning the potential non-declaration of luxury property in Dubai and other significant expenses, which may indicate the provision of false information in declarations.

This was reported by the SAPO press service in response to a request from Radio Svoboda.

Based on the analysis of information published in the journalistic project, the SAPO initiated the entry of data into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations. The case concerns potential violations stipulated by part 2 of article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – declaring false information. The penalty under the article includes a fine or imprisonment for up to two years with a possible restriction from holding certain positions for up to three years.

In the journalistic investigation published on April 24th, it is claimed that Serhiy Shakhov has been living in an apartment in Dubai for over two years, rented by his civil partner. Journalists, citing sources in the Dubai real estate database, estimated the rental costs during this period at approximately 300 thousand dollars. These costs, along with the tuition fees for the children’s private school in Dubai, are absent from the deputy’s declarations.

Journalists determined the lawmaker’s location by comparing the interiors of the apartment in photos from his eldest daughter’s social media with the frames of Shakhov’s video appearances during online sessions of the parliamentary committee on ecological policy, of which he is a member.

In court comments, Shakhov’s representatives explained his prolonged absence from Ukraine due to health issues. The deputy himself has not yet responded to journalists’ requests for comment.

Let us recall that back in 2021, Serhiy Shakhov was notified of suspicion of false declaration. According to NABU, he did not declare assets totaling nearly 88 million hryvnias, part of which is registered to his civil partner. Among the undeclared assets are two houses over 2000 m² in the "Sunny Valley" cottage town, 27 land plots (more than 100 hectares), 13 apartments in Kyiv, eight parking spaces, a summer house, two cars, corporate rights, and income from real estate sales.