Are they really "doing nothing"? List of major corruption cases investigated by NABU and SAPO
On July 22, the Verkhovna Rada adopted bill No. 12414, which, in essence, destroys the independence of NABU and SAPO. That same evening, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed it, and the law came into effect the following day.
The situation sparked outrage and even led to protests in various regions of Ukraine. However, not everyone shares this view, with some claiming that the anti-corruption bodies were "doing nothing" and are generally "unnecessary."
Censor.NET presents a list of major corruption investigations conducted by NABU and SAPO over recent years.
1. Oleksii Chernyshov
The Chernyshov case became the most high-profile corruption investigation in recent years. In some circles, it is even linked to the attacks on NABU and SAPO. On June 23, 2025, the anti-corruption agencies charged then-Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov with abuse of office and receiving illicit benefits on a particularly large scale.
Later, a preventive measure was imposed on him in the form of bail set at 120 million hryvnias. Prosecutors petitioned for Chernyshov to be suspended from his position, but the court denied the request. Subsequently, the minister lost his post following a government reshuffle.
2.Oleksii Reznikov
The former Minister of Defense of Ukraine, who headed the ministry during the "chicken eggs for 17 hryvnias" scheme and the embezzlement of over 700 million hryvnias, faced no inquiries from NABU for a long time after his dismissal in 2023.
Following the corruption scandal related to procurement, Reznikov resumed his right to practice law and "kept a low profile."
On July 4, 2025, it became known that NABU conducted searches at Reznikov’s residence on June 30 as part of an investigation into overpriced army food procurement.
Detectives seized the former minister’s "unaccounted" phone and a number of significant documents.
3. Vsevolod Kniazev
In May 2023, NABU and SAPO disclosed a bribery scheme involving $2.7 million, implicating the Chairman of the Supreme Court, Vsevolod Kniaziev, and Supreme Court judges.
Kniaziev was arrested but later released on bail set at 18 million hryvnias. He was also removed from his position as Chairman of the Supreme Court.
On July 18, the High Anti-Corruption Court extended the term of obligations imposed on Kniaziev. Among other things, he is prohibited from leaving the country.
4.Dmytro Sennychenko
In March 2023, NABU exposed a criminal organization led by the former head of the State Property Fund, Sennychenko.
He is suspected of laundering UAH 10 billion. According to media reports, Sennychenko later fled to Spain. In May 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court issued a warrant for his arrest in absentia.
5. Oleh Tatarov
On December 1, 2020, it became known that NABU was investigating a case against Deputy Head of the Office of the President, Oleh Tatarov.
Subsequently, he was formally charged. Tatarov was suspected of involvement in bribery related to the falsification of an expert report in a case concerning the embezzlement of funds from the National Guard.
Later, the case was transferred from NABU to the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI). Afterwards, the Office of the Prosecutor General, headed by Iryna Venediktova at the time, handed the case over to the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU).
Subsequently, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court closed the proceedings against Tatarov.
According to Bihus.Info, the case was closed at the beginning of the full-scale war.
6. Denys Komarnytskyi
On February 6, 2025, NABU and SAPO announced the exposure of a criminal organization led by Denys Komarnytskyi, known as the "Kyiv watchdog."
According to the investigation, as a result of the criminal organization’s activities during 2023–2024, land in the city center valued at 11.6 million hryvnias was illegally withdrawn from the ownership of Kyiv’s territorial community.
Komarnytskyi later fled to Austria. According to media reports, he was arrested in absentia.
7. Anatolii Hunko
On August 8, 2023, NABU and the SSU exposed the Servant of the People MP Hunko for receiving an $85,000 bribe. He was later expelled from the Servant of the People faction.
In March 2025, Hunko was sentenced to seven years in prison.
8. Kyrylo Shevchenko
On October 6, 2022, SAP and NABU charged former National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) Governor Kyrylo Shevchenko with unlawful activities during his tenure as Chairman of the Board of the state-owned Ukrgasbank, resulting in losses exceeding 206 million hryvnias.
On the same day, the Verkhovna Rada dismissed Kyrylo Shevchenko from his position. The court arrested Shevchenko in absentia. He is currently evading investigation in Vienna.
9. Mykola Solskyi
On April 23, 2024, NABU exposed then-Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi for embezzlement of state land worth 291 million hryvnias and an attempted seizure of additional land valued at 190 million hryvnias.
At that time, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) imposed preventive measures in the form of arrest with the option of bail set at 75.7 million hryvnias. The bail was posted, and he was released. On May 5, Solskyi was dismissed from his ministerial post.
10. Andrii Smyrnov
In May 2024, NABU and SAPO charged former Deputy Head of the Office of the President Andrii Smyrnov with illegal enrichment amounting to 15.7 million hryvnias. To conceal his assets, he registered the majority of them under his brother’s name.
On May 6, 2025, bail was posted for him in the amount of 18 million hryvnias. The following day, NABU and SAPO announced the completion of the investigation.
11. Andrii Odarchenko
He was charged with attempting to bribe former Head of the State Agency for Infrastructure Restoration and Development Mustafa Naiem.
It later became known that Odarchenko fled Ukraine. The High Anti-Corruption Court issued an international arrest warrant for him. He was subsequently sentenced to eight years in prison.
12. Iryna Kormyshkina
In November 2022, a case was opened against Servant of the People MP Kormyshkina, who received gifts worth 20 million hryvnias and an expensive watch. According to reports at the time, the MP was gifted 14.4 million hryvnias. Prior to that, she had received another 5.3 million hryvnias and a Swiss watch valued at 310,000 hryvnias, adorned with 11 white diamonds.
On October 17, 2024, SAPO notified the MP of suspicion.
In January 2025, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) imposed preventive measures on Kormyshkina’s husband in the illegal enrichment case, 15 million hryvnias bail and procedural obligations.
Subsequently, Kormyshkina submitted a resignation letter relinquishing her parliamentary powers.
In March 2025, the HACC announced that Kormyshkina and her husband pleaded guilty.
13. Serhii Kuzminykh
On January 28, 2022, Servant of the People MP Serhii Kuzminykh was exposed for receiving an illicit benefit of 558,000 hryvnias.
He was formally notified of suspicion by the Prosecutor General on January 31, 2022. After that, for various reasons, the MP began avoiding hearings at the HACC. The preventive measure was finally imposed four months later, at the end of May.
In July 2022, NABU and SAPO completed the investigation. The case was transferred to the HACC.
14. Viktor Bondar
On January 17, 2025, NABU and SAPO charged MP Viktor Bondar. According to the investigation, the MP, together with a business partner, devised a scheme to supply products to Ukrzaliznytsia at inflated prices. As a result, the company suffered losses exceeding 140 million hryvnias.
HACC placed him under arrest with bail set at 100 million hryvnias.
Following an appeal, the court extended the preventive measure in the form of detention, with the option to post bail set at 75.7 million hryvnias.
15. Mykola Zadorozhnii
In July 2024, SAPO announced that Servant of the People MP Zadorozhnii demanded a bribe of 3.4 million hryvnias in exchange for not obstructing the repair of a water pipeline in the Sumy region.
On July 17, a HACC investigative judge imposed a preventive measure on the MP in the amount of 3,028,000 hryvnias, along with corresponding procedural obligations.
16. Oleksandr Trukhin
On September 7, 2022, NABU and SAPO notified Ukrainian MP Oleksandr Trukhin of suspicion in attempting to bribe police officers following a 2021 car accident.
17. Liudmyla Marchenko
On October 31, 2023, NABU and SAPO completed the investigation into Servant of the People MP Liudmyla Marchenko. According to the investigation, the MP received payments for entering draft dodgers into the "Shliakh" system.
The first episode uncovered by detectives involved receiving an illicit benefit of $6,000. The second involved $5,300. After receiving the last "installment" of $2,800, she and her assistant were exposed.
18. Olha Stefanishyna
On July 16, 2025, it became known that SAPO had opened a criminal proceeding against Olha Stefanishyna on suspicion of abuse of power.
Later, SAP announced that it had registered a criminal case to investigate the possible involvement of the Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine, also Minister of Justice, Olha Stefanishyna in potential corruption within ARMA.
19. Mykola Chaus
On August 9, 2016, Judge Mykola Chaus was detained by NABU officers for receiving a bribe of $150,000.
He later fled and was detained in Moldova. In 2021, unknown individuals kidnapped Chaus and brought him back to Ukraine.
On August 3, 2021, NABU announced Chaus’s detention at the Feofaniia hospital.
In 2021, Chaus was sentenced to 10 years in prison, but later the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court reduced the sentence to 8 years and 6 months.
On June 14, 2023, the High Anti-Corruption Court sentenced the former judge of the Dniprovskyi District Court of Kyiv, Mykola Chaus, to 10 years imprisonment with confiscation of property and deprivation of the right to hold certain positions for three years.
20. Oleksandr Yurchenko
On September 15, 2020, an aide to Servant of the People MP Oleksandr Yurchenko was notified of suspicion for aiding the MP in receiving illicit benefits.
The SAPO press service reported that Yurchenko was formally charged. Prosecutors intend to request the court to place him in pre-trial detention with the option of bail set at 6.5 million hryvnias.
21. Artem Shylo
In March 2025, SAPO completed the investigation of three episodes of corruption crimes at Ukrzaliznytsia.
According to the prosecution, former Presidential Office advisor Artem Shylo and MP Viktor Bondar are implicated in these schemes.
It is reported that in 2022, Shylo and five other group members organized the procurement of transformers for Ukrzaliznytsia through a Bulgarian shell company, resulting in losses totaling 99.9 million hryvnias.
22. Other MPs
It is worth noting that the majority of deputies against whom cases were opened by the Bureau voted in favor of draft law No. 12414 on July 22, which effectively ended the independence of NABU and SAPO.
English translation of the Ukrainian text from the image - ed.note
11. Yurii Kamelchuk - Servant of the People faction — voted in favor;
12. Iryna Konstankevych - "For the Future" party group — voted in favor;
13. Serhii Nahorniak - Servant of the People faction — voted in favor;
14. Volodymyr Hevko - Servant of the People faction — voted in favor;
15. Oleksandr Trukhin - Servant of the People faction — not a deputy;
16. Marharyta Shol - Servant of the People faction — voted in favor;
17. Petro Poroshenko - European Solidarity faction — abstained;
18. Oleksandr Marikovskyi - Servant of the People faction — did not vote;
19. Andrii Derkach - non-factional — not a deputy;
20. Iryna Kormyshkina - Servant of the People faction — not a deputy;
21. Natalia Korolevska - OPFL faction — not a deputy;
22. Anatolii Hunko - "Restoration of Ukraine" group — voted in favor;
23. Andrii Odarchenko - Servant of the People faction — absent;
24. Serhii Labaziuk - "For the Future" party group — voted in favor.
As we can see, several cases investigated by NABU and SAPO have reached sentencing.
On 23 July 2025, after signing the law, President Zelenskyy gathered the heads of the SBU, NABU, SAPO, NAPC and SBI and said:
We agreed that everyone will work strictly constructively. … It was agreed that next week there will be an in-depth working meeting on the overall action plan. And within two weeks, a joint plan must be ready, outlining the necessary steps to strengthen Ukraine, resolve existing issues, ensure greater justice, and effectively protect the interests of Ukrainian society.
