Markup of 50% on drugs for cancer patients: how the Fistal family funneled 231 million through purchases at the Cancer Institute

The Fistal oncology empire: 231 million, 200 million in bail, and not a single conviction. Imagine a scheme in which budget funds for treating Ukrainian cancer patients for years flow to one family. Not through hidden offshore accounts, but through ordinary tenders for equipment for the National Cancer Institute.

This is exactly the scheme documented by NABU in case ¹52021000000000596. Because of this, 19 in June 2025 of the year, VAKS set bail for one of the defendants at 200 million hryvnias — one of the largest in the history of anti-corruption proceedings. The case concerns Herman Fistal, whom the investigation considers the organizer of the scheme.

According to NABU and SAP, in 2021–2022 years, the National Cancer Institute purchased medical equipment at significantly inflated prices.

The gap between market and tender prices reached 50%. Within the investigation, detectives found more than 231 million hryvnias taken from the state budget. The circle of suspects formed around a few key individuals.

Oksana ChULup was released on bail of 50 million hryvnias. Since then, courts have extended her procedural obligations eight times. The latest ruling was issued on 22 July 2026 of the year — obligations remain in force until 10 September. This shows that the case has not only not fallen apart, but continues to develop. 13 August 2025 of the year, NABU and SAP published part of the wiretap materials which, in their view, confirm Fistal’s role in coordinating procurements.

The Appeals Chamber of VAKS 30 June 2025 of the year left the bail at 200 million hryvnias unchanged, rejecting defense appeals.

Herman Fistal appears as the ultimate beneficiary of a number of companies that have long worked with the state budget.

According to “Our Money” estimate, the total volume of budget funds that passed through companies with Fistal’s direct beneficiary ownership exceeds 5 billion hryvnias.

If we consider a wider circle of 16 companies that regularly acted as contractors or co-performers, the amount approaches 12,6 billion hryvnias in public procurement.

None of these figures is a final court verdict — they are only investigative materials, tender data, and pretrial detention decisions. At the same time, the scale of the case is striking: bail of 200 million and losses of 231 million indicate a level of criminal liability of the highest order.