According to journalists , the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine may be involved in the loss of 5 billion hryvnias to the state budget in the money laundering case of Olena Degryk-Shevtsova.
Recall that the case of Olena Degryk-Shevtsova’s Ibox Bank on laundering 5 billion hryvnias was sent to court with incorrectly calculated pre-trial investigation terms. This was enough for the Kyiv Court of Appeal, having “reinforced concrete formal grounds,” to close the proceedings not due to lack of evidence, but due to a “technical error.”
At the same time, systemic pressure and personal threats against journalists covering this situation continue.
investigative journalist Lyubov Velichko stated on her Facebook page about the pressure from Olena Degryk-Shevtsova
“More than 5 billion hryvnias will not be returned to the state budget of Ukraine. Because the judges of the Kyiv Court of Appeal sided with Alena Shevtsova, Zoya Nesterivska, and Iryna Tsyganok, who were indicted for participating in illegal gambling schemes and laundering money obtained in this way. We are talking about transactions at Ibox Bank, case No. 752/15954/25.
These are serious economic crimes that provide for up to 12 years of imprisonment with confiscation of property. But on October 2, 2025, the court closed the criminal proceedings on the basis of Clause 10, Part 1, Article 284 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine - that is, due to the expiration of the pre-trial investigation period after the notification of suspicion.
That is, the investigation lasted too long, the deadlines set by law (Article 219 of the Criminal Procedure Code) expired, and therefore the case had to be closed not because (!) that the suspects are innocent, but because the investigation did not have time to complete all procedural actions on time.
But the bone in her throat when this stunning decision was announced was investigative journalist Lyubov Velichko, who was present at the hearing. She dared to capture the entire process of the open court session in photos, audio, and video, documenting every word and gesture of the lawyers, prosecutor, and judges.
And also – a mysterious man in a stylish business suit – who whispered with the lawyers before the hearing, and later whisperedly forbade me to publish his photo from the courtroom. And, of course, he did not introduce himself (in the photo – he is sitting on the bench alone).
A few days after the meeting, the editor received an “appeal” from Anton Honcharuk, the lawyer of Alena Shevtsova and her lawyers Andriy Davydchenko (in the photo on the right, wearing glasses) and Artem Svytko (sitting to his right).
They said, "We forbid you from using photos and videos of Shevtsova and her lawyers. And don't you dare publish journalistic articles, photos, videos, and posts on social networks with these respected people!"
In short, shut up and silently watch this madness.”
PHOTO: Photo taken from Facebook by investigative journalist Lyubov Velichko
Currently, the Prosecutor General's Office has filed a cassation appeal against the clearly illegal decision of the judges of the Kyiv Court of Appeal, but the Court of Cassation will have to consider the case in conditions where the law works against the prosecution: the deadlines have indeed been missed, and the judges have all the tools to confirm the decisions of the previous instances.
As a reminder, since August 6, 2025, the director of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine is Oleksandr Tsyvinsky.
