Ukraine sends to court case alleging 54 million hryvnias extracted from state budget via false ECHR claim
Ukraine's NABU and SAP have sent to court a case alleging the seizure and laundering of 54.18 million UAH of state budget funds through a scheme built around a false ECHR claim in a private dispute between LLC "Zolotoy Mandarin Oyl" and PJSC "Kyivenergo." Media identify the alleged organizer as former MP Heorhiy Lohvynskyi, who has been abroad and on NABU's wanted list since August 2023. Six additional suspects were notified as the case moved to trial.
Key points
- NABU and SAP sent to court a case on the alleged seizure and laundering of 54.18 million UAH of state budget funds.
- The scheme ran from 2013 to 2016 and revolved around an ECHR claim by LLC "Zolotoy Mandarin Oyl" against PJSC "Kyivenergo" over an alleged 54.18 million UAH debt under an unenforced court decision.
- Investigators say the right of claim against "Kyivenergo" had already been assigned to another company, which received the 54.18 million UAH before the ECHR application.
- An ex-MP, identified in media as Heorhiy Lohvynskyi of the "Narodnyi Front" faction, is named by media as the alleged organizer; NABU's public communication does not name the main suspect.
- The then-Government Authorized Representative for ECHR cases is alleged to have prepared a friendly-settlement declaration effectively recognizing state liability in a private dispute, after which 54.18 million UAH was paid from the budget and laundered through conversion centers.
- Six more suspects were notified as part of the case, bringing the total to seven; the pre-trial investigation was completed in January 2026.
- Lohvynskyi has been abroad since before his July 2023 in absentia notice of suspicion and has been on NABU's wanted list since August 2023; the Appellate Chamber of the Higher Anti-Corruption Court ruled in June 2024 on the remote pre-trial detention question.
Why it matters
The case centers on an alleged scheme to extract tens of millions of hryvnias from the state budget by exploiting the ECHR process in what was actually a private commercial dispute. It implicates a former member of the Ukrainian parliament, former senior officials of the Ministry of Justice and the then-Government Authorized Representative for ECHR cases, raising questions about the misuse of state institutions for private gain. The alleged organizer is reported to be abroad and on NABU's wanted list, and prior procedural steps around a remote pre-trial detention have already been litigated in the Higher Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), Ukraine's specialized anti-corruption court.
What happened
NABU and SAP sent to court a case alleging that 54.18 million UAH of state budget funds were seized and laundered through a scheme run between 2013 and 2016. According to the investigation, in September 2013 a representative of LLC "Zolotoy Mandarin Oyl," acting on the suspect's instructions, filed a claim with the ECHR seeking 54.18 million UAH from the state budget on the grounds that PJSC "Kyivenergo" had not enforced a court decision since 2009. Detectives say the company had not actually pursued the debt, its assets and accounts had been seized to secure obligations of more than 70 million UAH to "Rodovid Bank," and the right of claim against "Kyivenergo" had already been assigned to another company, which had received the 54.18 million UAH before the ECHR application. The ex-MP, identified by media as Heorhiy Lohvynskyi, allegedly arranged with the leadership of the Ministry of Justice for the then-Government Authorized Representative for ECHR cases to prepare a friendly-settlement declaration that effectively recognized state liability in a private dispute. After that, 54.18 million UAH was paid from the budget to the controlled company and laundered through conversion centers. NABU and SAP notified six participants of suspicion, including former Government Authorized Representative for ECHR cases Borys Babin and former First Deputy Minister of Justice Natalia Bernatska, and later a seventh, the former MP. The pre-trial investigation was completed in January 2026. Lohvynskyi has been abroad since before his July 2023 in absentia notice of suspicion, was placed on NABU's wanted list in August 2023, and in June 2024 the Appellate Chamber of the HACC ruled on the question of his remote pre-trial detention.
Where reporting differs
NABU's public communication about the case does not name the main suspect, while media reporting identifies the alleged organizer as former MP Heorhiy Lohvynskyi.
Background
According to the investigation, the scheme ran from 2013 to 2016 and centered on a claim by LLC "Zolotoy Mandarin Oyl" that PJSC "Kyivenergo" owed it 54.18 million UAH under an unenforced court decision. Detectives say the company's assets and accounts were seized to secure obligations to "Rodovid Bank" of more than 70 million UAH, and that the right of claim against "Kyivenergo" had already been assigned to another company, which received the 54.18 million UAH before the ECHR application. Media link the case to former MP Heorhiy Lohvynskyi, identified in reporting as a former member of the "Narodnyi Front" faction; NABU's own communication does not name the main suspect. The pre-trial investigation was completed in January 2026. The first suspects in the case included former Government Authorized Representative for ECHR cases Borys Babin and former First Deputy Minister of Justice Natalia Bernatska.