The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) has opened a criminal case against a member of Kyiv City Council, former coach of the Dynamo soccer club, Oleksandr Shovkovskyi, in accordance with a ruling by the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC); the case has been transferred to Kyiv Police Department for investigation.
"In response to media inquiries, we are providing information regarding the circumstances surrounding the initiation of criminal proceedings against a Kyiv City Council member and former coach of the Dynamo football club," the NABU said in the statement on its Telegram channel on Friday.
The NABU said that on August 13, 2026, the bureau received a ruling from an investigating judge of the HACC, in which the judge ordered authorized officials of the bureau to enter information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations based on a report dated July 21, 2026, regarding the possible extortion of funds in an especially large amount under martial law.
"In compliance with the court's decision, on the same day, detectives from the National Bureau entered the relevant information into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations with a preliminary legal classification under Part 4 of Article 189 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the statement reads.
The Bureau explains that since the investigation of this criminal offense does not fall under NABU's jurisdiction, on August 25, 2026, a prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office issued a ruling assigning jurisdiction to the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kyiv.
Earlier, media outlets reported that NABU had opened a case following a ruling by the High Anti-Corruption Court after a landlord accused the lawmaker's associates of extorting $250,000 in compensation for repairs. Shovkovskyi himself rejected all accusations, calling the situation a purely civil-law dispute and describing the media reports as a smear campaign aimed at discrediting him.
