High Anti-Corruption Court Approves Agreement on Odesa Portside Plant – 77.5 Million UAH to be Returned to the State

The High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) of Ukraine has made a significant ruling by approving an agreement concerning the acknowledgment of guilt in a case linked to corrupt activities at the Odesa Portside Plant. This case revolves around the sale of the plant's products at prices below market value in 2015. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) announced this decision on Thursday, emphasizing its importance for the restitution of state losses.

Under the terms of the agreement, the state will recover 77,537,184 UAH, which resulted from corrupt actions. Furthermore, the accused have committed to directing an additional 50 million UAH to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the fundraising platform UNITED24. All defendants have admitted their guilt and agreed to a negotiated punishment, indicating their willingness to compensate for the damages incurred.

The SAP also reminded that several sentences have already been handed down in this case. Specifically, a member of the Ukrainian parliament from the VIII convocation received a fine equivalent to three hundred non-taxable minimum incomes. The former deputy director and the former head of the Odesa Portside Plant’s department were sentenced to three years in prison, along with a one-year ban from holding positions and a fine. Co-organizers of the scheme, including a former board member of the plant and the owner of the intermediary company, also received a three-year prison sentence, a one-year prohibition from holding positions, and a fine.

It is noteworthy that some defendants were exempted from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, while others received a two-year probation period. The SAP highlighted that more than ten years have passed since the crime was committed, and some individuals involved in the case are currently abroad, specifically in Austria and the United Kingdom. Extradition requests for them have not been satisfied; however, three defendants were already eligible for case closure due to the statute of limitations. Despite these circumstances, they declined to close the proceedings, acknowledged their guilt, and committed to compensating for the damages and supporting the military.

Although law enforcement officials have not disclosed the name of the parliamentarian involved, the circumstances of the case point to Oleksandr Granovsky. It has been previously reported that the losses incurred by the Odesa Portside Plant from March to December 2015 are estimated to exceed 94 billion UAH. According to the investigation, it was this member of the VIII convocation of the Ukrainian parliament who organized a scheme whereby the plant sold ammonia and urea to an intermediary company at prices lower than market value in 2015. Subsequently, this company resold the fertilizers to actual buyers at market prices, pocketing the profit difference.

In March 2020, the SAP and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced suspicions against four individuals involved in the case, including a trusted person of the former MP, the owner of the intermediary company, the deputy director, and the head of the Odesa Portside Plant's department. In October 2022, the organizer of the scheme himself was also suspected, marking an important step in the investigation of this high-profile case.