Case description
Anton Yanchuk, the former head of the ARMA, and three members of a criminal group are suspected of illegally seizing material evidence of the Agency.
According to the investigation, in February–July 2019, the former head of the ARMA Anton Yanchuk, the former director of SE SETAM Viktor Vyshnev, lawyer Andrii Dovbenko and Ihor Bahniuk illegally sold the property transferred to their management. This includes urea stored in the warehouses of the Odesa Portside Plant and the Kherson seaport, as well as wheat and other crops stored in the warehouses of several elevators. The damages are estimated at over UAH 485 million.
The scheme must have functioned as follows: seized property was transferred to the ARMA under the pretext of enforcing court decisions, and later it was sold under the explanation that the assets were perishable and could quickly lose their value. The property was appraised by a shell company at a significantly reduced value, and the assets were sold at an auction organized by SE SETAM with a predetermined winner.
The actions of the defendants were classified under Art. 191, part 5 and Art. 364, part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. This case is known as the “barbecue case” because the suspects referred to the property sold as “barbecue” and the process of selling it as “frying.” In 2023, Andrii Dovbenko, the organizer of this criminal group, was put on the wanted list.
