Minister of National Unity Chernyshov suspected in large-scale corruption deal
The Deputy Prime Minister - Minister of National Unity Oleksii Chernyshov was reported on suspicion of abuse of office and obtaining illegal benefits in an especially large amount for himself and third parties. It was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB).
It is noted that Chernyshov became the sixth suspect in the case of a large-scale corruption deal in the construction sector with the participation of top state officials.
"One of the capital's developers developed a scheme for illegally obtaining a land plot in Kyiv for the construction of a residential complex. To do this, he turned to the head of the Ministry of Regional Development (Chernyshov, who held the position in 2020-2022, - Ed.), who, together with the State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development, the Minister's advisor, and the director of the state-owned enterprise, created conditions for transferring the plot to this state-owned enterprise. It illegally concluded investment agreements with the "necessary" construction company," the report says. According to them, the developer was supposed to give the state a part of the future apartments in a quantity proportional to the cost of the land plot. In order to minimize this quantity, the land and the buildings on it were valued almost five times cheaper, and the difference between such an assessment and the market value exceeded UAH 1 billion. It is this amount that the state would have received less real estate in the event of the execution of the agreements. This was prevented by the seizure of the plot, imposed at the request of the NACB and the SACPO.
"For the successful implementation of the deal, the developer "rewarded" the minister and the persons designated by him with a significant discount on apartments in already constructed residential complexes. With it, the cost of a square meter was from UAH 1,000 to UAH 8,000, with the minimum market value of such apartments being about UAH 30,000 per sq. m. Thus, the minister received an unlawful benefit in the form of a discount for a total amount of over UAH 14.5 million," the NACB said.
At the request of the NACB and the SACPO, most of the illegally obtained apartments were also seized.
What Chernyshov says
"I had a constructive dialogue with the NACB detectives, which lasted more than 2 hours. I am grateful for the correct and respectful attitude. I assured that this approach is mutual and confirmed my readiness for full cooperation in the legal sphere. I am familiarizing myself with all the documents provided," the minister wrote on Facebook.
As a reminder, on June 18, journalist Mykhailo Tkach stated that Chernyshov had not returned from a foreign trip. On June 22, Chernyshov stated that he had returned to Ukraine and promised to dismantle the "discredit campaign."