The scheme of privatization of official housing in Ukraine turned out to be surprisingly simple and effective - for those who know how to use it. Bihus.Info journalists revealed how judges, police officers and other officials receive expensive apartments in prestigious residential complexes at the expense of the state, and then quickly privatize them.
How the scheme works
- Concealment of real estate. Officials do not declare the housing available to them or their relatives, receiving the right to an official apartment.
- Privatization. After receiving official housing, they later privatize it, formally complying with the law.
- Trace masking. Real estate, which they already owned, is transferred to relatives or removed from the declaration.
Examples from the investigation
- Lyudmila Gubska , a former judge of the Sixth Administrative Court of Appeal, received a three-room apartment in the "Comfort Town" residential complex in 2019 (worth about $115,000). In 2023, she privatized it and resigned. During this time, Gubska's family managed to purchase several more apartments and cars worth about $400,000.
- Yuriy Pidchenko , a judge of the Economic Court of Kyiv, privatized a three-room apartment in the "Motorny" residential complex. Pidchenko's declarations mysteriously "lost" information about his wife's real estate, which was transferred to his mother before receiving an official apartment.
- Serhii Boychuk , the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, privatized an official apartment in the "Kryshtalevi Tzherka" residential complex, although he previously declared a two-room apartment in Poznyaki.
- Dmytro Sokolov and Artem Rodygin , high-ranking officials of the National Police, received elite official housing in the "Slavutych" residential complex. Sokolov has already privatized his apartment, while Rodygin's apartment has already been excluded from the status of an official apartment - the first step towards privatization.
What is the problem?
For now, the scheme remains legal, allowing employees to use it with impunity. However, she questions the fairness of the distribution of state property: instead of providing for the truly needy, elite apartments are given to wealthy families of judges, officials and police officers.
The investigation raises the question of the need to reform the system of distribution of official housing and introduce strict control over its use. Without these changes, the scheme will remain an ideal tool for enriching officials at the expense of the state.
