NACBU has completed an investigation into the case against Mykola Martynenko and SKODA JS a.s

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine has completed a pre-trial investigation and sent a case to the court regarding the receipt of illegal benefits by ex-chairman of the Energy Committee Mykola Martynenko from SKODA JS a.s., which was controlled by the Russians.

This was announced on September 14 by the NACBU press centre.

"NACBU and SAP have completed an investigation on suspicion of a people's deputy of Ukraine of the III-VII convocations of obtaining illegal benefits and money laundering. On September 13, 2022, the case materials were opened to the defence for review. The suspect's actions were qualified under Part 4 of Article 368 and Part 2 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the NACBU reports.

The case file states that, in July 2014, Mykola Martynenko received from the management of the Czech company SKODA JS a.s. (part of the United machine-building plants holding, which belongs to the Russian Gazprombank) the illegal benefit of Euro 311.6 thousand for assistance in promoting their interests in relations with Energoatom NJSEC and Chornobyl NPP. NACBU also accuses Martynenko of laundering these funds.

"The illegal benefit was transferred under the guise of paying for agency services under the cooperation agreement concluded between SKODA JS a.s. and a Cyprus company affiliated with the ex-MP. Further on, the received illegal benefit was legalised through several transactions involving a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. As a result, the funds ended up in the account of a company also registered in Cyprus, the ultimate beneficiary of which was the ex-MP," the NACBU reports.

In particular, the anti-corruption body noted that the facts of crimes were established during the investigation of another corruption scheme for the embezzlement of funds on a particularly large scale by two state-owned companies – Energoatom and SkhidGZK. Also, the Ukrainian authorities cooperated with law enforcement agencies of the Czech Republic and Cyprus.