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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
The HACC found Serhiy Hombolevskyi guilty in the loss of 70 million hryvnias of Ukraerorukh
The High Anti-Corruption Court found the former first deputy director of the state enterprise Ukraerorukh, Serhiy Hombolevskyi, guilty of official negligence that led to the loss of 70 million UAH. However, he did not receive real imprisonment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
The case is part of proceedings by NABU and the SAPO, in which the then director of Ukraerorukh, Ihor Kasianenko, was also implicated. Materials concerning Hombolevskyi were separated into a separate proceeding as early as December 2024.
Initially the indictment was based on part 2 of article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of official position that caused grave consequences.
According to the SAPO’s version, in 29 December 2016 a company called Platinum Bank, associated with businessmen Borys Kaufman and Oleksandr Granovskyi, offered Ukraerorukh to continue elevated interest rates on account balances. Additionally the bank offered a bonus of 1% per annum if as of 1 January 2017 there would be at least 250 million UAH on the account.
To this proposal the first deputy director of Ukraerorukh put a resolution: “Chief accountant. Please transfer 70 million UAH.”
The funds were transferred to the bank. As the court established, this tranche helped Platinum Bank to temporarily cover liquidity ratio problems for several days. Already in December 2016 the bank was failing to meet ratios N4 and N6.
At the same time nearly 120 million UAH from Lviv Bus Factories was also credited to Platinum Bank’s accounts.
However, already in January 2017 the National Bank of Ukraine declared Platinum Bank insolvent.
After that, Ukraerorukh’s accounts had 270,7 million UAH and 4,7 million euros blocked. The bank’s liquidation was completed in 2021, but the funds were never returned to the state enterprise.
At the same time the risks for Ukraerorukh were not unknown. The Ministry of Infrastructure had previously recommended placing funds in state and reliable banks.
The enterprise itself issued orders in June and December 2016 to withdraw funds from problematic banks. Oversight of the execution of these decisions was assigned to the first deputy director.
Moreover, already in the summer of 2016 Platinum Bank had problems processing payments. Ukraerorukh notified the National Bank about this.
What the court found
The HACC panel requalified Hombolevskyi’s actions under part 2 of article 367 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — official negligence.
The court did not establish intentional provision of funds to the bank for the personal interests of the official, as the prosecution insisted. At the same time the panel concluded that Hombolevskyi knew about the risks, had the opportunity not to transfer 70 million UAH to a bank that already had problems meeting ratios, but still gave the corresponding instruction.
The court established a causal link specifically regarding 70 million UAH. The rest of Ukraerorukh’s funds that remained in the bank — over 200 million UAH and foreign-currency funds — were not linked to this specific resolution of Hombolevskyi.
The enterprise sought to recover 404 million UAH, but the court did not satisfy the claim to the extent exceeding 70 million UAH.
Five years’ imprisonment — but without prison
Formally the verdict provides for 5 years of imprisonment, 3 years of prohibition from holding positions at state enterprises, and a fine of 12 750 UAH.
But Hombolevskyi will not have to serve this sentence.
The court applied article 49 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on exemption from criminal liability due to expiration of the statute of limitations. He was released from serving the imposed sentence.
House arrest, under which Hombolevskyi had been placed since May 2023, was credited according to the formula 3 days of house arrest for 1 day(s) of imprisonment. At the time the verdict was issued there was no preventive measure remaining against him.
At the same time financial consequences for the former official remained. The court ordered him to pay 70 million UAH to Ukraerorukh.
To secure this debt an arrest was placed on a Toyota Sequoia 2008 and a trailer. Nearly 36 thousand UAH more represent expert costs, which are also subject to recovery to the budget.
Hombolevskyi’s defense asked for his acquittal. The lawyers insisted that the deposit interest rates were profitable, there was no direct prohibition on keeping funds in Platinum Bank, and the losses arose because on 10 January 2017 the bank did not execute payment orders to withdraw those same 70 million UAH.
The court did not agree with these arguments as a basis for fully relieving the former deputy director of Ukraerorukh of responsibility.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "ВАКС визнав Сергія Гомболевського винним у втраті 70 мільйонів гривень «Украероруху»". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
