Bribe for concealing violations: former State Audit Service official Zakurin pleads guilty and will pay 1.3 million hryvnias to the AFU

Bribe for concealing violations: former State Audit Service official Zakurin pleads guilty and will pay 1.3 million hryvnias to the AFU

Former deputy head of the Northern Office of the State Audit Service Oleksandr Zakurin, who was suspected of demanding and receiving a bribe from the director of the municipal enterprise “Chernihivvodokanal” Serhiy Malyavko, admitted his guilt and agreed to a deal with the prosecutor.

This is stated in the verdict of the Desniansky District Court of Chernihiv.

Under the agreement between the First Deputy Head of the Chernihiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the suspect, the latter was found guilty of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 369-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and sentenced to five years of imprisonment, with the sentence suspended for a probationary period of two years.

Zakurin is also obliged to make a charitable contribution to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine in the total amount of UAH 1,300,000 within 15 days after the return of the bail of UAH 1,331,200 previously paid as a preventive measure.

It is recalled that Zakurin was detained on March 12 while receiving USD 30,000, which he demanded in exchange for removing from the audit service’s report facts about financial violations at the enterprise that could lead to criminal liability.

On March 13, the Desniansky District Court of Chernihiv placed the suspect in custody with the possibility of posting bail of almost UAH 1 million. Prosecutor of the regional prosecutor’s office Serhiy Krupko appealed to the Chernihiv Court of Appeal to review the decision of the first instance.

On March 25, the case was not considered due to a power outage. The hearing was postponed to March 27. The suspected official appeared before the appellate court on his own; he refused to comment on who and when posted bail for him, as well as on the substance of the case.

Malyavko himself told Suspilne that it was he who contacted law enforcement when he received Zakurin’s offer to pay a bribe.

What is known about Zakurin’s case

As stated in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions, at the time of the crime Oleksandr Zakurin was Deputy Head of the Department, Head of the Control Division in the Housing and Utilities, Infrastructure and Communications Sector of the Northern Office of the State Audit Service in the region.

In late February, he and another person, whose position is not specified, met with the director of the municipal enterprise “Chernihivvodokanal” Serhiy Malyavko and informed him that he had to pay a bribe of USD 30,000 so that facts about financial violations at the enterprise, which could lead to criminal liability, would be removed from the audit service’s report. On March 12, while inside his own TOYOTA CAMRY vehicle, Zakurin and another person met with Malyavko and asked him to place the money in the car’s armrest, after which Zakurin was detained by law enforcement officers.

He is charged under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code — “Acceptance of an offer, promise or receipt of an unlawful benefit by an official.” The suspect faces 8 to 12 years of imprisonment.

What the director of the municipal enterprise “Chernihivvodokanal” says

In a comment to Suspilne, the director of the municipal enterprise “Chernihivvodokanal” Serhiy Malyavko confirmed that he contacted law enforcement when he received the bribe offer. He refused to disclose details of the case, citing the secrecy of the investigation. He said the bribe offers were systematic.

“I am included in the case materials as a witness, so I cannot comment until the investigation is completed,” Malyavko said.

What Zakurin’s former superior says

On March 24, it became known that the Northern Office of the State Audit Service in Chernihiv region is no longer headed by Oleksandr Kondrashov. When asked by a Suspilne journalist whether his dismissal was related to the corruption case involving his deputy, he said that Zakurin had been dismissed from his position. He did not say when. He linked his own dismissal to receiving a new job offer, but could not provide details because there is no order yet and he is already in Kyiv.

“First, we do not monitor the situation with former employees, and second, it is absolutely unrelated to this situation,” Kondrashov said.

What is known about complaints regarding the activities of the State Audit Service in Chernihiv region

In 2024, “Nashi Hroshi” reported in its material that after Oleksandr Kondrashov took office in 2023 as head of the Northern Office of the State Audit Service in Chernihiv region, there was an increase in so-called punitive conclusions of the State Audit Service in tenders related to repairs and construction, which led to the termination of contracts and slowed down the pace of work. This was complained about, in particular, by the Restoration Service of Chernihiv region. According to “Nashi Hroshi,” during Yanukovych’s presidency Kondrashov was the first deputy head of the Tax Service in Kyiv region.

The Northern Office of the State Audit Service in Chernihiv region responded to the “Nashi Hroshi” material as follows:

“The Northern Office of the State Audit Service in Chernihiv region informs that today (February 16, 2024, — ed.) some media outlets disseminated inaccurate information about the service’s activities and the biographies of its employees.”