Ukraine anti-corruption agencies complete investigation into ex-justice minister Stefanishyna

Why it matters

The case targets a former deputy prime minister, justice minister, and ex-ambassador to the United States, and is being processed through Ukraine's specialized anti-corruption institutions (NABU, SAPO, and the High Anti-Corruption Court) — a standard test of how those bodies handle senior former officials. The charges describe a pattern built around assets allegedly held by nominees and relatives rather than in the suspect's own name, which is the usual construction for illicit-enrichment cases of this kind. A separate notable feature is that the UAH 6 million bail was posted by a law firm where Stefanishyna had previously worked, rather than by her directly.

What happened

NABU and SAPO completed the pre-trial investigation into Olha Stefanishyna, who is suspected of illicit enrichment of more than UAH 13.9 million and of filing false declarations under Articles 368-5 and Part 2 of Article 366-2 of Ukraine's Criminal Code. The file has now been opened to her defense for review; after that, prosecutors are expected to send an indictment to the High Anti-Corruption Court.

According to the investigation, two apartments in the Faina Town residential complex in Kyiv, worth a combined nearly UAH 11 million, were registered to a close friend of Stefanishyna. She is also alleged to have used an apartment in the Lvivska Ploshcha business-class complex, registered to her mother, and a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220 d registered to a subordinate, none of which were declared. Investigators say she negotiated the purchase of a house outside Kyiv for about USD 550,000 — USD 250,000 in cash and the rest via transfer of the two Faina Town apartments — but abandoned the deal, reportedly when she received her diplomatic appointment. SAPO places the acquisition of one of the Faina Town apartments and UAH 7 million in cash in 2024–2025; her official income for that period was about UAH 3.7 million, while some UAH 4.2 million flowed out of her bank accounts.

The High Anti-Corruption Court imposed bail of UAH 6 million, which was posted by the law firm Ilyashev and Partners, where Stefanishyna had previously worked as an adviser. She completed her tenure as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States shortly before the suspicion was announced.

Where reporting differs

The defense contests both the facts and the legal interpretation of the case. It argues that the Faina Town apartments were bought by Stefanishyna's close friend with her own legitimate income, that Stefanishyna's parents independently accumulated over UAH 4 million for their own property, that viewing a house outside Kyiv is not proof of purchase, and that the apartment and the Mercedes did not have to be declared because statutory usage thresholds were not crossed. The prosecution treats the assets as Stefanishyna's undeclared wealth, with the Faina Town apartments acquired through the friend as a nominee arrangement.

Separately, two facts in the source set appear internally inconsistent and are marked as such: SAPO places the acquisition of one Faina Town apartment together with UAH 7 million in cash in 2024–2025, while another fact dates the notice of suspicion to August 2026.

Background

NABU and SAPO are Ukraine's specialized anti-corruption investigation and prosecution bodies; the High Anti-Corruption Court handles such cases. Stefanishyna completed her diplomatic service as Ukraine's ambassador to the United States shortly before the suspicion was announced, having previously served as Vice Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration (2020–2025) and as Justice Minister (2024–2025). The current criminal proceeding is her second; an earlier one, linked to alleged abuses at the Ministry of Justice over a decade ago, has reportedly been ongoing for more than ten years.