Former SBU officer and State Consumer Inspectorate official Volodymyr Vilchinsky, fired for violating his oath, is trying to get back into the fold and reinstate himself in court.
The State Inspectorate of Ukraine for Consumer Protection is once again expecting a new addition to its ranks, with officials returning from the past. As ORD has learned, former SBU officer and later First Deputy Head of the Prosecutor General's Office under S. Orekhov, Volodymyr Vilchinsky, recently dismissed by the Minister of Economy, may soon return to his post at the request of the Kyiv Court of Appeals. Vilchinsky, having realized during his resignation how meager and meaningless life is without "serving the people," decided to quickly win back his position by appealing Sheremeta's decision. Fortunately for the former official, Ukrainian courts have not yet been fully vetted, making it easy for sharks like Vilchinsky to rule in their favor. And so it happened: he filed a petition challenging the illegality of his dismissal and seeking his reinstatement, and lo and behold, he won the first-instance court ruling. As a reminder, the official reason stated in the order issued by Minister of Economy Pavlo Sheremeta was violation of the oath of office as a civil servant. This diplomatic formulation actually implies the following: participation in corruption schemes and extortion of money from large companies under the guise of the State Inspectorate for Consumer Protection. Here's a short excerpt from the oath every official takes: "I swear to faithfully serve the people of Ukraine, to uphold the Constitution and laws of Ukraine, to protect the rights of citizens, to strengthen their authority, to protect their rights, freedoms, and the legal interests of citizens..." As it turns out, for Vilchinsky, this was simply a jumble of words. Now, a little about the life of the demoted official and his deeds.
Our hero is a hereditary SBU officer. His father previously headed the Khmelnytskyi district SBU department, so it's no surprise that his son made a meteoric rise in the security services. It was this "figure," while still an SBU officer, who illegally obtained military ranks and participated in corrupt schemes, receiving orders and medals for, in his own words, his active work to "jail" Tymoshenko.
Indeed, in 2004, Vilchinsky was assigned to a unit tasked with the country's economic security. Until 2013, he worked in the economic unit. The unit he led was responsible for the security of Ukraine's fuel and energy sector. Therefore, it's not surprising that during the reign of Vitya "Baton," Vilchinsky and his unit played a major role in the arrest of Yulia Tymoshenko. Incidentally, this is confirmed by the fact that Vladimir Vilchinsky was included on a list of 54 Ukrainian officials whose accounts and entry into the EU and the US were proposed to be blocked. These sanctions were proposed due to the individuals on the list's involvement in human rights violations and political repression in Ukraine.
Then, when the government changed, Vilchinsky moved to another lucrative position—the State Consumer Inspectorate. There was less responsibility there, but the potential for millions more in earnings. And the word "millions" isn't a figurative expression.
The saying "Greed is the death of the sucker" became a fatal prediction for Vilchinsky. A major scam, planned by the deputy head of the Prosecutor General's Office to generate super profits, failed. The largest electronics and home appliance retail chains proved too tough a nut to crack for the former SBU officer. The scheme involved inspecting major electronics supermarkets, levying exorbitant fines, and then releasing them for a small six-figure sum. And the plan seemed to be working. The inspections organized by Vilchinsky's team resulted in colossal fines: Foxtrot was fined 400 million hryvnias, Eldorado over 100 million hryvnias, and Comfy 85,000 hryvnias. The reason given was that the State Consumer Inspectorate allegedly found counterfeit products that did not meet standards and were unsafe for users. The retailers denied the charges, refused to pay the fines, and joined forces to file several lawsuits against the State Inspectorate for Consumer Protection. In response to the chain stores' lawsuits, the State Inspectorate began revising the fines... upwards. Foxtrot co-owner Valeriy Makovetskyi stated in an interview that the agency's claims against his chain of stores exceeded 1 billion hryvnias, while Eldorado and Comfy were each facing fines of 500 million hryvnias!
And it seemed the retailers were ready to "resolve the issue amicably," as evidenced by a memorandum in which the chains expressed their willingness to assist in identifying counterfeit products, and officials promised to stop pressuring the retailers. However, apparently, the "compensation" did not satisfy Vilchinsky. Soon, the State Consumer Protection Inspectorate imposed fines on the signatories, and the amount of the sanctions was increased—Foxtrot, for example, was now required to pay 1,6 billion hryvnias. The retailers again appealed to the government, demanding an investigation into the actions of the State Consumer Protection Inspectorate.
And then a miracle happened. Economy Minister Pavel Sheremeta, with a single stroke of the pen, fired both Vilchinsky and his boss, Orekhov.
Sheremeta did indeed see the actions of this pair of extortionists and swindlers as a violation of the oath of office. Specifically, Volodymyr Vilchinsky did not "serve the people of Ukraine," but rather served his own personal gain. As the oath states, he did not "adhere to the Constitution and laws of Ukraine," but acted according to the principles of criminal activity. He did not "protect the rights, freedoms, and legitimate interests of citizens," but rather grossly violated them, extorted money, and threatened violence.
So who and what court will stop this man? After all, if Vilchinsky is able to return to public service, that means we'll soon see him in any other government agency—the Prosecutor General's Office, the Ministry of Internal Affairs, or the Security Service of Ukraine. Is this what the Maidan was all about—to see the old corrupt and bribe-taking officials back in power? It would also be worthwhile to conduct a lustration of judges who acquit officials already convicted of crimes against the Ukrainian people.
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