The former head of the IT department of the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine" Andriy Vorony, who is suspected of corruption schemes, has been appointed director of the State Institution "Agency for the Development of the Stock Market Infrastructure of Ukraine" (ARIFRU).
The appointment took place against the backdrop of large-scale investigations at the State Enterprise "Forests of Ukraine", where law enforcement officers have brought forward more than 40 suspects in recent weeks. According to the investigation, losses from illegal schemes exceed UAH 300 million. In particular:
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UAH 167 million – due to illegal logging and manipulation of the electronic timber accounting system;
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UAH 140 million – in the form of unsubstantiated assets.
The main scheme consisted of understating the volume of harvested timber, changing the quality, and deleting documents by LIAC employees.
In addition to Vorony, another person involved in the "forest scandal" works within the NSSMC - Maksym Rivtin, who currently holds the position of Deputy Head of the Regulator's Office. He is also linked to fraud in the forestry sector.
Experts and human rights activists emphasize that appointing corruption suspects to leadership positions in state structures that handle budget funds creates serious reputational risks. This undermines trust in state institutions and may open new opportunities for abuse.
ARIFRU provides technical, organizational and resource support for the activities of the National Securities and Markets Commission, in particular the implementation of electronic systems and the development of the infrastructure of the Ukrainian stock market.
