A Criminal, a Friend of Yanukovych and Arbuzov — Head of the Accounting Chamber Maguta: Yuriy Karmazin

Ukrainian budget is controlled by a criminal, a friend of Yanukovych and Arbuzov — head of the Audit Chamber Maguta: Yuriy Karmazin

Roman Maguta, the head of the Audit Chamber of Ukraine, a key state structure that ensures control over targeted use of the state budget, from the close circle of the Yanukovych family and the minister of finance Arbuzov. Maguta is mired in corruption schemes, yet continues to head a strategic facility that operates under strict secrecy.

Maguta is a former subordinate of the mother of the head of the NBU, Serhiy Arbuzov, in the Donetsk regional office of PrivatBank. According to the biography of Mr. Maguta, posted on the Oschadbank website, from 1995 to 2007 years he held “leadership positions” in the Donetsk regional department of PrivatBank. At that time the position of the director of this department was held by Valentina Ivanivna, the mother of Serhiy Arbuzov, who now heads the Association of Taxpayers and the All-Ukrainian Bank of Development of President Yanukovych's son Oleksandr.

Roman Maguta

The Audit Chamber is a permanently functioning body of control created by the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, subordinate and answerable to it. The Audit Chamber operates independently of any other state bodies. It was established in accordance with the Constitution of Ukraine adopted in 1996 and the Law of Ukraine “On the Audit Chamber” of 2 July 2015. Previously, the Law “On the Audit Chamber” from 11 July 1996 was in force. The Audit Chamber consists of 3 9 members plus 3-x — the head of the Audit Chamber, the first deputy and the secretary.

The activities of Maguta and his crime were voiced by former deputy Yuriy Karmazin, head of the “People’s Defenders Party”.

17 November 2016, year detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and prosecutors of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office reported suspicion against the head of the Audit Chamber for committing a crime under part 2 of art. 364 (abuse of power or official position that led to serious consequences) of the Criminal Code.

Preliminary investigation established that from January 2014 year to March 2015 year he, acting in the interests of the chief controller — the director of the Department of Agricultural Complex issues of the Audit Chamber, Maria Shulyezko, through the preparation and signing of a number of official documents, facilitated the illegal alienation of a two-bedroom service apartment into private ownership of a relative of Shulyezko.

And this interesting document has the corrupt person supervising himself, isn’t that interesting?

This is an apartment in Kyiv at Poltavska Street, building 10 and area 114 sq m. In the court ruling it said that Maguta later donated this apartment to another person. However, according to the property rights registry, the apartment is still listed as the property of Roman Maguta and his daughter Natalia. The ownership certificate was issued in June 2014 year by DP “Ukrzhytloservis” under the State Administrative Department of the President “DUS.”

According to the property rights registry, in April 2015 year Roman Maguta and his wife Lilia bought another apartment in Pechersk on Zadneprovskogo (Shchorsa) 44-a. This is a four-room apartment with area 162 sq m. In his declaration Maguta stated that he owns half of the apartment area 81 sq m, and that he spent 3,01 million UAH on its purchase. The other half of the apartment he registered in the property section as the wife’s property. The total value of this apartment may be about 6 million UAH, the publication writes.

According to the property rights registry, wife of the head of the Audit Chamber, Lilia Maguta, since 2012 year has a house in Petrove village, Kyiv region. In Maguta’s property declaration it is stated that the wife owns a house of almost 309 sq m. Also in the property registry there are data that Lilia Maguta owns a four-room apartment in Donetsk of 81 sq m, purchased in 1997 year, as well as an administrative premises of 115 sq m and non-residential premises in the town of Dobropillya, Donetsk region, of 157 sq m.

In the last year Roman Maguta earned 356 thousand UAH, and his wife Lilia — 276 thousand UAH, of which 142 thousand UAH came from leasing property. In Lilia Maguta’s apartment in Donetsk, Maguta Andriy Romanovych 1990 year of birth was registered. This may be the son of Roman and Lilia Maguta. At the same time, in the head of the Audit Chamber’s declaration only wife Lilia Maguta, daughter Natalia Maguta, and mother-in-law Lyudmila Konopelko are listed.

The registry contains data that in 2012 year Andriy Maguta received a ownership certificate for an apartment of 98 sq m in Kyiv, in a new building on Lesi Ukrainky Boulevard, 7a. Also in 2015 year Andriy Maguta registered a Volkswagen CC car, year 2012. Roman Maguta himself owns only a Toyota Camry, year 2007.

As is known, before moving to leadership positions in Kyiv Maguta lived and worked in Donetsk. He headed the Audit Chamber under President Yanukovych in 2012 year.

For unclear reasons, neither Prosecutor General Lutsenko nor military prosecutor Matiosh, who zealously prosecutes retired tax officers, the NABU or the SBU, see the log in the eye, an obvious fact of official crime and clearly tarnished reputation.

Oleksiy Vorontsov