VAKS Arrested Colonel's TCC Assets Worth 7,4 Million Hryvnias: What He Is Suspected Of

Registering property in the names of close relatives does not relieve public officials of the obligation to prove the lawful origin of family wealth. If discrepancies between official income and expenses are discovered, officials face civil confiscation and judicial asset arrest.

Arrest of Unjustified Assets of a Colonel of the Lviv TCC

The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office filed a suit with the High Anti-Corruption Court seeking recognition of the assets of the former deputy head of the Lviv Regional Territorial Recruitment and Social Support Center as unjustified. Earlier, his declaration was noted to lack property registered to relatives. This was reported by the press service of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention.

It is known that this concerns Colonel Drapinsky. In May he was discharged from service because he had been granted disability status. Interestingly, after proceedings were opened against him for declaring inaccurate information, he continued to work at the TCC for another 9 months. These data were provided at a meeting of the temporary investigative commission by the then head of the Lviv Regional TCC.

NACP conducted lifestyle monitoring of the former official, after which the court placed an arrest on some of his property with a total value of over 7,4 million hryvnias.

The Drapinsky case arose from his acquisition of assets during the period from 2021 to 2023 that did not correspond to his officially declared income. To conceal ownership facts, the property was registered to close persons:

He registered a Mercedes-Benz GL 350 CDI in his father's name. His sister was registered as the owner of a Nissan Juke. And the land plot and residential house were registered in the name of his wife's mother.

Fuel

Average prices at the Amic Energy gas station network as of

Legal Mechanism of Proof and the Algorithm of Civil Confiscation

The institute of civil confiscation is regulated by the Civil Procedure Code of Ukraine and provides for the seizure of unjustified assets in favor of the state without a criminal conviction. The verification and accountability procedure has a clear legal algorithm: .

NACP compares the official incomes of the declarant and his family members with actual expenditures and acquired assets. Then prosecutors from the SAP and investigators from the State Bureau of Investigations get involved to document instances of direct use of property and vehicles.

It was established that the vehicles in question were actually used by the former official himself and his wife. At the same time, analysis of the incomes and expenditures of the declarant and his family members indicates the absence of sufficient lawful income to acquire the specified assets,

– determined NACP specialists.

The court analyzes whether the nominal owners had legitimate sources of income to purchase expensive real estate or vehicles.

Caveats and Risks for Public Officials

Failure to confirm the legality of the sources of funds leads to loss of property through its confiscation in favor of the state. In addition, discovering discrepancies during financial monitoring is grounds for dismissal from office and opening proceedings under articles on illicit enrichment or submitting false information in a declaration.

Recall that there was already a case in which the court recovered 4,35 million hryvnias from former Minister of Agrarian Policy Vitaliy Koval. Financial analysis showed that the official’s mother-in-law, who allegedly owned housing of more than 170 square meters, physically did not have the necessary income to carry out such a large purchase.