NABU detectives reportedly acquired luxury real estate, transferred funds abroad – media

According to journalists, the deputy head of the department in NABU, Roman Nedov, has acquired multiple properties in Kyiv in recent years. The purchases were registered under the name of his wife’s mother and later transferred to his wife as a gift.

"In April 2017, an apartment was purchased for Nanula Syanova, the mother of the detective’s wife, in the elite residential complex "Sherwood" on Aviakonstruktora Antonova Street. According to open sources, at that time, the cost of the apartment from the developer was 26 thousand UAH per m&³2;, that is, the minimum cost of an apartment without renovation was 2,652,000 UAH (about $98,625 at the exchange rate at that time). Nedov’s family lived in this apartment, so he declared it. However, in the price column, he noted: "Unknown". In the period from 2018 to 2020, the apartment underwent renovation and redevelopment: the total and living area even decreased. As a result of manipulations, the housing was revalued with a decrease in the cost of the apartment almost threefold to 1,007,200 UAH (about $36,970). At this price, it was presented to Nedov’s wife, and it appeared in the declaration for 2020", – the investigation says.

According to the investigation, in 2018, another apartment measuring 63.7 m&³2; was registered to Nanula Syanova on Povitrianyh Syl Avenue. In 2021, the property was also gifted to Nedov’s wife. The detective's declaration listed the value of the apartment at the time of the gift as 1,080,000 UAH (about $38,700).

The report notes that both apartments are located near Nedov’s workplace at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

"Since April 2024, the Nedov family has been using a VOLKSWAGEN TIGUAN, white. It is registered to his wife, Lia. The cost, according to the declaration, is 763,620 UAH (about $19,300). However, the search shows that this car was imported from Switzerland in 2023 and listed on Auto.ria for 1,311,110 UAH ($31,555)", – Informator.ua reported.

According to investigating journalists Valentyn Shmitko, head of one of NABU's divisions, has declared large sums of cash savings over several consecutive years.

"Shmitko declared large amounts of money as cash savings every year: in 2017 – 425 thousand UAH, in 2019 – 521 thousand UAH, in 2020 – 619 thousand UAH, in 2021 – 625 thousand UAH, in 2024 – 670 thousand UAH. These amounts sometimes amounted to two-thirds of his official income for the year. And in 2024, he took out of the country 4,350,725 UAH," – material reads.

Journalists also noted that Shmitko’s wife, Nataliya Shmitko, has not been residing in Ukraine since the beginning of the full-scale invasion but continued to receive state social benefits.

"We scroll through the Instagram of his wife, Natalia Shmitko. And we see that since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, she has been constantly living abroad with small breaks. During this time, she lived in Romania, was in Montenegro, Venice, visited Croatia, the Dolomites, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Hollywood. At the same time, she did not neglect social assistance from the state: from 2019 to 2024, Shmitko received it in the amount of more than 340 thousand UAH", – the article states.

The investigation further claims that Shmitko was involved in an attempt to assist an acquaintance in evading military service.

"Shmitko's friend was stopped at night with a bunch of cash in his car. Of course, they checked his documents, and it turned out that he was wanted. Shmitko arrived right at night to "solve" it, but he "solved" it so well that he and his evading friend were charged. The NABU leadership exempted Shmitko from the court, and his evading friend from mobilization. What is characteristic is that the court did not see any offense in Shmitko's actions, not even an administrative one," – Informator.ua wrote.

The editorial board of Informator.ua called on the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) to launch an official investigation of NABU detectives.

"The NACP has unfinished business. It seems that no matter which NABU detective you check, you will find suspicious fraud: with money, cars, apartments, houses. All these cases will have to be investigated and given a legal assessment, as required by law", – the publication emphasized. 
 
 
 
 
 

Context:

On May 14, political analyst Oleh Posternak wrote on Facebook that an international commission had completed an audit of NABU's activities and identified shortcomings and violations in the bureau's work. He stated that, based on the published report, the bureau should be disbanded, as it cannot be reformed.