The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has seized the assets of Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration Oleksiy Kuleba – an apartment and a parking space, HACC told Interfax-Ukraine.
"The court, upon the petition of a prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), seized an apartment worth UAH 4.4 million and a parking space worth UAH 520,000," the court noted.
Earlier, SAPO reported that the prosecutor had appealed to HACC "with a lawsuit to recognize as unsubstantiated and recover into state revenue assets worth nearly UAH 5 million acquired by the Deputy Prime Minister for Restoration of Ukraine – Minister of Development of Communities and Territories of Ukraine Oleksiy Kuleba (position at the time of filing the lawsuit) through his sister."
According to SAPO, the lawsuit is motivated by the fact that in 2021, while serving as First Deputy Head of Kyiv City State Administration, the official, through his sister, concluded preliminary purchase and sale agreements for an apartment and a parking space in Kyiv.
SAPO emphasizes that an analysis of the official income and expenses of Kuleba and his family established that they did not have sufficient legal income to purchase these assets.
In a comment to Interfax-Ukraine, Kuleba emphasized that this is a civil lawsuit regarding the assessment of the legality of the assets’ origin, rather than a criminal proceeding or the bringing of charges.
"I am a defendant in the specified case and respect the procedures and powers of law enforcement and judicial authorities established by law. The final conclusions in the case must be made exclusively by the court after a comprehensive examination of all evidence and circumstances. Throughout my public activity, I have acted openly and did not hide my income, property, or other information subject to declaration. All necessary information was reflected in declarations in accordance with the procedure established by law and is publicly accessible. I am completely open to cooperation, ready to provide all necessary explanations and facilitate a comprehensive, full, and objective consideration of the case," Kuleba said.
