The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine is continuing proceedings in the so-called “shashlyk case” involving lawyer Andriy Dovbenko, who is accused by prosecutors of organizing a scheme to sell assets seized and transferred to the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA) at substantially undervalued prices. The case also involves 10 other defendants, including former ARMA head Anton Yanchuk and former SETAM head Viktor Vyshnov.
According to case materials cited in reports about the proceedings, the assets involved included land in the Odesa region, thousands of tonnes of river sand, carbamide, grain, cereals and oilseed crops. Investigators allege that the property was sold to companies selected in advance, with the resulting losses to ARMA estimated at about 485 million hryvnias.
The prosecution alleges that the prices at which some of the assets were sold were substantially below their market value. Land in the Odesa region was allegedly sold at a price about 18 times lower than its market value, while river sand was sold for more than six times less and carbamide for almost five times less, according to the materials cited in the case.
Investigators attribute a coordinating role in the alleged scheme to Dovbenko, saying he controlled the process from the transfer of ARMA-managed property through to its eventual sale. The term “shashlyk” was allegedly used by participants to refer to seized assets, while the process of selling them was described as “frying,” giving the criminal case its informal name.
The proceedings concern the management and disposal of assets that had been seized in criminal cases or otherwise transferred to ARMA. The agency was created to manage property connected with criminal proceedings and prevent its loss or depreciation while legal processes are underway.
Dovbenko is a lawyer and former managing partner of the Evris law firm. He was born in Kalush in the Ivano-Frankivsk region and studied law at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. Public reports have previously linked him to the Ukrainian legal and political establishment, including figures who held senior positions during different administrations.
Media reports have described Dovbenko as having influence in the Justice Ministry during the tenure of Pavlo Petrenko, who served as justice minister from 2014 to 2019. Claims that Dovbenko acted as an informal “overseer” or exercised influence over private enforcement officers have appeared in Ukrainian media and statements by anti-corruption activists. These claims are not, by themselves, findings of a court.
Dovbenko has also been publicly associated with former head of the Presidential Office Andriy Bohdan. Bohdan attended Dovbenko’s wedding in Saint-Tropez, where journalists reported that the two maintained close communication. Dovbenko was also previously married to Dariia Zarivna, who worked as an adviser to former Presidential Office head Andriy Yermak.
Other media reports have linked Dovbenko to businessmen and politicians from different periods of Ukrainian political life. Those reports have included references to Oleksandr Hranovsky, Serhiy Lovochkin and Vadym Stolar, as well as businessman Serhiy Kurchenko, who left Ukraine after the 2014 change of government. The reported associations do not establish criminal liability for Dovbenko or the other individuals named.
Dovbenko has been outside Ukraine and has been reported as living in the United Kingdom. In English-language public activity, he has presented himself as an investor and has promoted Ukrainian military technology and related investment projects.
The case against Dovbenko is part of a broader series of investigations into the handling of assets seized in criminal proceedings. ARMA has been responsible for managing such property pending court decisions, making the valuation, transfer and sale of assets a significant issue in cases involving alleged abuse of public authority.
The proceedings against Dovbenko and the other defendants have not resulted in a final court judgment establishing their guilt. Under Ukrainian criminal procedure, the allegations contained in an indictment or investigation materials must be proven in court, and the defendants retain the right to a defense and the presumption of innocence.
The court’s consideration of the case could determine whether the alleged undervaluation and sale of ARMA-managed assets caused the claimed losses of 485 million hryvnias and whether the defendants had criminal roles in organizing or facilitating the transactions.
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