Yuri Sevruk
There isn't a single government institution left in Ukraine that isn't susceptible to corruption. And perhaps the most corrupt structure today is the Prosecutor General's Office.
Lustrated prosecutors, implicated in shady dealings to shield important people, are regaining their positions through decisions by equally corrupt courts and continue to work for the benefit of their friends in criminal circles.
Indeed, against the backdrop of current reforms in the law enforcement system, it's quite difficult to spot any dark spots on the otherwise sterling reputation of prosecutors and the immediate leadership of the Prosecutor General's Office. With each new face at the top of the Prosecutor General's Office, Ukrainians are promised that the agency will now begin to transparently and openly implement its main motto, "law, honor, and dignity." But in reality, prosecutors have long since sold out their honor and dignity, and the law has become a tool for corrupt officials to enrich themselves.
Thus, Yuriy Sevruk, the current acting prosecutor general, whom experts call Shokin's man, upon assuming his new position, did not dwell on his past experience of closing the criminal cases of his friends, but continued this work with renewed vigor and authority.
Back in 2011, when Sevruk was working in Kyiv's Podilskyi district, he became the subject of a rather humorous story. A man was attacked by four thugs while walking in Vynohradar. Not only did they beat him up, but they also set their Staffordshire terrier on him. Local police spent six months trying to understand the circumstances of the case and ultimately refused to open a criminal case against the thugs. Prosecutor Sevruk decided this was illogical and, based on the thugs' testimony, opened a case against the man. He believed the man single-handedly beat four people, one of whom was taken to the hospital after the fight… severely intoxicated. He, incidentally, turned out to be an EMERCOM employee.
And already in 2014, interesting details emerged about a popular scheme for obtaining large sums through bank loans, which also involved Yuri Sevruk.
During 2011-2012, when lending in Ukraine was essentially frozen, certain business circles obtained multi-million-dollar loans with paltry collateral that didn't secure even a tenth of the principal. Everything was meticulously planned, right down to the use of "pocket notaries" who executed such transactions.
One such notary is Inessa Vladimirovna Kravchenko, who works in the Kyiv Notary District. She was repeatedly involved in processing illegal loans, for which she regularly received her share. But all secrets eventually come to light, and in 2014, law enforcement discovered evidence of the notary's illegal activity, leading to the opening of a criminal case against her.
Inessa Kravchenko
Documents revealed that in June 2011, Inessa Kravchenko certified several loan transactions, including those involving UniCreditBank. However, she was physically unable to do so, as she was vacationing in Antalya, Turkey, at the time the contracts were signed.
The Pechersk District Police Department opened a criminal investigation into this incident. During the investigation, it was established that Kravchenko was indeed abroad at the time the transactions were made. This was confirmed, among other things, by letters obtained from the hotel where the notary was staying, as well as evidence from travel agencies regarding purchased travel packages and airline tickets.
The Ministry of Justice stated that Kravchenko used 43 notary forms bearing her seal and signature during her vacation. By law, if a notary is not present when a transaction is completed, it is deemed illegal, and such a document is invalid. As a result, Kravchenko should have been stripped of not only her license to practice but also prosecuted for document forgery. However, as often happens in our country, the criminal case against her was hushed up, and the most compelling evidence mysteriously disappeared.
One of those who helped Kravchenko avoid responsibility was the current acting Prosecutor General, Yuriy Sevruk. After the Prosecutor General's Office joined the investigation into Kravchenko's case, information about Kravchenko crossing the state border within the specified timeframe disappeared from the Border Service database, and the prosecutor's office never received an official letter from the hotel. In the absence of key evidence, the case was closed, and Inessa Vladimirovna continued to work as a notary.
Incidentally, in 2010, then-President of Ukraine Viktor Yanukovych awarded Sevruk the Medal "For Labor and Valor." This only became known in 2015, after some personnel changes. The news, as usual, quickly spread through the blogosphere, and Sevruk sought to reassure the public by claiming that he had indeed received the medal from Yanukovych, as "there was a reason for it." In 2014, Yuriy Sevruk received the badge of Honorary Worker of the Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine from the current government. In June 2015, President Petro Poroshenko awarded Sevruk the rank of State Justice Counselor, 3rd Class, which is equivalent to the rank of Major General.
And, before he could even take his seat as first deputy, Sevruk rushed to give a briefing in which he said he was not subject to the "Law on the Purification of Power" and had even already received the conclusions of all departmental authorities, except for the conclusion of the Ministry of Internal Affairs.
It turns out that Sevruk, from the very beginning of his career in the prosecutor's office, acquired extensive operational experience in matters of fact-finding, ranging from the low-profile cases of his comrades in trouble to the widely publicized cases of "diamond prosecutors."
Incidentally, on May 3, Sevruk's term as acting Prosecutor General officially ended, but for some reason the authorities are in no hurry to provide Ukraine with a new Prosecutor General.
Ruslan Yakushev, Antikor
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, Facebook , Twitter , VK - Only new faces from the SKLEP section!