Bohdan Ustymenko: How To "Monetise" the Investigation Against the Ukrainian Railways. Master Class By the NABU

What do the NABU and Ukrzaliznytsia (Ukrainian Railways) have in common? It is unlikely that you will quickly come up with an obvious answer. However, as it turns out, some NABU employees can successfully build further careers in Ukrzaliznytsia by investigating cases of embezzlement... in the Ukrzaliznytsia.

This story is about three former NABU detectives who actually stood at its origins and have now successfully transformed into "railway workers". Their names are hardly known to the average Ukrainian, although their career and property "successes" are truly noteworthy. Our "heroes" are Taras Likunov, Bohdan Brovko and Oleksandr Rykovtsev.

Three "iron detectives"

So, Rykovtsev, Brovko and Likunov's careers at the NABU began in 2015, and they have been working there continuously for more than eight years. Rykovtsev worked his way up from detective to Deputy Head of the Detective Department and resigned in September 2023. Brovko worked his way up to the Head of the Detective Department and resigned in February 2024. Likunov fought corruption as a detective and senior detective and resigned as recently as 2 months ago.

All three "new faces" (law enforcement officers of the new formation) come from the police, tax service and prosecutor's office. Rykovtsev came to the NABU from the Fiscal Service, Brovko from the Vinnytsia police, and Likunov from the Volyn prosecutor's office.

While working at the NABU, they were, among other things, involved in investigations into criminal proceedings concerning the activities of the JSC Ukrzaliznytsia (UZ), its branches and other structural units. It is important to understand that an investigation is not only about gathering evidence, but also about procedural decisions: notices of suspicion, detention, initiation of arrest, searches, operational and investigative measures and other repressive measures. In other words, these detectives had a direct impact on the UZ employees’ activities, which means they could significantly influence their decision-making regarding the work of the joint-stock company or its divisions

What do detectives do after years of "fighting corruption" at UZ? That's right, immediately after leaving the NABU, they sign employment contracts with the Ukrzaliznytsia. Moreover, Mr Likunov personally helped to ensure that fellow detectives presented Oleksandr Shevchenko, the former UZ Deputy Director for security, with a suspicion notice. Shevchenko was fired, after which Likunov took over his position. Unbelievable, but that’s true.

For example, Rykovtsev was appointed as a Head of the Office of the Director for Information and Economic Security. He signed an employment contract with the UZ three (!) days after his dismissal from the NABU. Anyone from the Bureau would envy such a career development. A coincidence, don't you think?

But even if you believe in the "coincidence" that the NABU "supervisor" of the Ukrzaliznytsia's activities holds a senior position in the same company, it is worth recalling that by joining the UZ, the ex-detective of the main anti-corruption body directly violated the Ukrainian Act on Prevention of Corruption.

Article 26 of this Act expressly prohibits persons authorised to perform state functions from entering into employment contracts with legal entities in respect of which they have "exercised control, supervision or preparation or adoption of relevant decisions regarding activities" within a year after dismissal.

These provisions of the Act on Prevention of Corruption have been violated by Rykovtsev, Brovko and Likunov. And this raises many questions about both their previous work at the NABU and their subsequent activities at the Ukrzaliznytsia.

Million-dollar fortunes, property and shares of ex-detectives. What will the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) say?

But the "staggering career growth" of these three ones is not the only thing that may interest at least the NACP, and possibly their former colleagues from the Bureau. The authenticity of the declarations of income of these officials is highly questionable, and there is every reason to believe that they have been illegally enriched and have unjustified assets.

For example, only a superficial analysis of Rykovtsev's declarations shows that while he was permanently residing in Odesa and working in Kyiv in 2017-2018, he did not have his own home and did not declare any expenses for renting an apartment in Kyiv.

But after a few years of working for the NABU, he and his close relatives began to acquire real estate and cryptocurrency. And Rykovtsev's father-in-law got a managerial position at - you won't believe it - the Odesa Regional Branch of the Ukrzaliznytsia!

In 2019, Rykovtsev finally bought an apartment in Odesa. However, the purchase price was more than three times less than he received from the sale of the same apartment with a similar area in the same city. Today, Rykovtsev is one of the top cryptocurrency holders among Ukrainian declarants and a dollar millionaire.

According to media reports, the ex-detective has about $870,000 worth of bitcoins alone. But the biggest shame is that, despite the great war, Rykovtsev's family and he himself do not disdain receiving social assistance from the state (in 2022, his wife received assistance as an IDP, and in 2021, Rykovtsev received UAH 1000 of ePromotion).

Another former NABU official may be lagging behind in terms of assets, but he has no less interesting "victories". Bohdan Brovko, while working in the Bureau, became an attorney in July 2022, at the height of the war. The newly minted attorney received his license on 29 July 2022 from the Vinnytsia Region Bar Council. A logical question arises: how did a current NABU detective manage to complete the six-month internship required to obtain a lawyer's certificate, which includes mandatory participation in court proceedings? It seems that Brovko simply forged documents about his internship under the supervision of a lawyer in the Vinnytsia Region and obtained the status of an attorney on the basis of fictitious documents. It also raises questions concerning how he took the oath of an attorney while being sworn in as an NABU employee and what kind of oath he is serving.

Brovko's assets are also not all right, and the NACP has already had questions to him. In 2017, as a NABU detective, he submitted updated data to his false 2015 Declaration of Income about two previously hidden cars (Opel Vivaro and Mazda 3SDN), the formal owner of which was his father, Leonid Brovko. However, there are reasonable doubts that Brovko Sr. had the necessary income to purchase the two cars. Only from 3 October 2006 to 21 April 2011, the ex-detective's father was registered as an entrepreneur, and since 1 December 2023 he has been working as the Head of the Condominium "Magistratska 104", which has neither real estate nor any expensive movable property. The legality of the acquisition of the prestigious BMW car listed in Brovko's 2019 declaration at an obviously understated price (ironically, the car is also registered in his father's name), as well as the apartment in Kyiv, the ownership of which was registered in Brovko Jr's name on 28 January 2022, also raises obvious doubts.

Former NABU detective Likunov's declaration is no less enchanting. A superficial analysis of the document shows that during the full-scale invasion of Russia in 2022-2023, Likunov acquired shares in the largest domestic companies, such as the Ferrexpo (one of the owners is the well-known oligarch Kostiantyn Zhevago, who is wanted by NABU) and the Myronivsky Khliboproduct (PJSC MKP).

And do you know what is striking? The NABU has also conducted or is conducting criminal investigations into these companies. For example, in 2020, the NABU opened a criminal investigation into the MHP at the request of the President's Office. The investigation was checking whether state subsidies were legally allocated to the MHP holding companies in 2017-2018.

A few years later, NABU detective Likunov decided to invest in shares of the MHP, which was involved in the criminal proceedings, for some reason. Moreover, during Likunov's work at the NABU, journalists revealed that he had relatives in the Anti-Corruption Action Centre, an NGO that actively defends NABU with grant funds. Likunov turned out to be the brother of Olena Shcherban, a member of the AntAC board. What is this if not a conflict of interest? But for some reason, the case has not been further conducted.

The question is, how did this "merry band" from the NABU manage to build a spectacular career with such a background? Obviously, it was not without connections and money. It is clear that there is no social lift to be mentioned. But let's ask ourselves whether such people have the legal and moral right to decide the fate of other people. These three ones are just a vivid example of who actually works at the NABU. Probably, a more thorough check and the use of a wider range of tools available to the competent authorities would have revealed much more interesting information. But, of course, it is natural that there should be a full verification of the ex-detectives' declarations, establishing the fact of a conflict of interest during their work, and, of course, bringing them to justice, up to criminal liability, with inclusion in the register of corrupt officials and all other consequences. As the saying goes, the ball is now in the NACP's side of court.

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