Case description
On November 8, 2022, the HACC found Kostiantyn Ruskykh, former head of Innovative Technologies, guilty of being an accomplice to the son of former MP Shpak in the embezzlement of Ukragroleasing property. Ruskykh was sentenced to 4 years in prison.
In 2013, Mykola Shpak, chairman of the board of Ukragroleasing, concluded a loan agreement with Innovative Technologies, a company controlled by Shpak's relatives and headed by Kostiantyn Ruskykh. On the basis of this agreement, UAH 5.7 million was allocated for the alleged preparation of agricultural machinery production, but UAH 4.9 million was never returned to Ukragroleasing. Instead, the money was used in the interests of companies controlled by Shpak and his relatives.
The court qualified the actions of Kostiantyn Ruskykh under Article 27, part 5; Article 28, part 2; Article 364, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He was sent to prison for 4 years with a fine of UAH 10,200 and a ban on holding certain positions for 3 years.
However, the appellate instance overturned the verdict and sent the case back to the first instance, but the statute of limitations had expired, so Ruskykh was exempted from punishment and the case against him was closed. Instead, the materials on Shpak were separated into an individual proceeding, as the former official got mobilized into the Armed Forces in early 2022.
Earlier, Mykola Shpak and his father, former MP Vasyl Shpak, who also headed Ukragroleasing in the early 2000s, were tried for allegedly embezzling UAH 115 million from the company.
According to the investigation, in 2011–2012, Ukragroleasing under the leadership of Shpak Jr. signed a contract with a farm controlled by the Shpak family for the purchase of equipment, but only a tiny part of the funds was actually spent for the intended purpose.
