The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) reported that the monitoring of the lifestyle of the acting deputy head of the State Tax Service of Ukraine (SST) Yevgeny Sokur is still ongoing. The review was initiated after possible violations in his declaration for 2023 and a number of other scandalous circumstances were discovered.
One of the key aspects of the investigation is the alleged concealment of data about the roommate. It is known that Sokur has been living with a girl named Alina since 2016, but the official did not mention her in his declarations. This raised questions about the authenticity of his declarations, which are being checked after the appeal of deputy Nina Yuzhanina.
Also, Sokur did not declare the proceeds from the sale of securities in the amount of UAH 2.6 million received in 2022. According to the legislation, the official should have reported significant changes in his property status, which was not done.
In addition, Sokur is a figure in the case opened by the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in November 2022. He is accused of exceeding his official authority during the cancellation of the license of PJSC "Ukrtatnafta" for the production of fuel. According to the investigation, this decision had serious consequences for the implementation of the mobilization tasks of the Ministry of Defense, which endangered the defense capability of the state.
The official is associated with Danylo Hetmantsev, head of the parliamentary committee on finance, tax and customs policy. Before being appointed to the DPS, Sokur was his assistant and worked in a law firm associated with Hetmantsev.
After receiving a leadership position, Sokur allegedly became a key figure in personnel appointments in the DPS, promoting the promotion of individuals loyal to Hetmantsev. In particular, he personally visits regions to appoint or dismiss local heads of tax authorities.
The media also claim that Sokur oversees the most corrupt areas of the tax department's work, such as licensing, tax audits and adjustment calculations.
This situation illustrates the probable impunity of certain officials, despite the declaration of the fight against corruption. The investigation against Sokur can become a litmus test for evaluating real actions in the field of anti-corruption.
The question of whether NAKC will be able to complete the review and draw conclusions without political influence remains open. Meanwhile, the public and anti-corruption activists are closely monitoring the course of events.
