The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has approved a plea agreement with the former acting head of the Presidential Administration in the case involving seized petroleum products, according to a post on the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Facebook page, which did not specify the former official's last name.
"The case concerns events that took place between March and June 2014, during which the defendant abused his official position to appropriate seized petroleum products, resulting in serious consequences in the form of losses to the state amounting to over UAH 817 million. The defendant is also charged with participation in a criminal organization. Under the terms of the plea agreement, the defendant fully admitted guilt under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and Part 1 of Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and agreed to provide incriminating testimony to the investigation," the statement reads.
As Interfax-Ukraine has learned from its own sources, the individual in question is Serhiy Pashynsky, who served as acting head of the Presidential Administration from March 5 to June 10, 2014. From 2006 to 2019, he also served as a member of the Verkhovna Rada during four (V-VIII) convocations.
"Under the terms of the agreement, the former acting head of the Presidential Administration is obligated to: reimburse the state for the damages determined during the court proceedings, amounting to UAH 600 million, by transferring funds to the general fund of the State Budget of Ukraine in installments over a period of two and a half years from the date the judgment takes effect; transfer UAH 400 million to the Come Back Alive Fund's account or ensure the delivery of military equipment, as specified in the Come Back Alive list of the same value, to the fund's balance sheet or directly to military units at the fund's direction, with delivery to an agreed-upon location within 6 months from the date of the judgment; Come Back Alive of the same value, either to the fund's balance sheet or directly to military units at the fund's direction, with delivery to an agreed-upon location within six months from the date the judgment takes effect; transfer UAH 100 million to the account of the Sternenko Community Charitable Foundation directly for the purchase of weapons for the Defense Forces of Ukraine within 30 days from the date the verdict takes effect," the SAPO said.
Under the terms of the agreement, the former official must also pay fines totalling UAH 850,000 as the principal penalty and UAH 17,000, accompanied by a one-year ban on holding office in state or local government bodies, as an additional penalty.
"Confiscation of the convicted person's property was not ordered, since this additional penalty under Article 255 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine was introduced by law in June 2020 – that is, after the crime was committed," the statement reads.
The High Anti-Corruption Court said it had reviewed the plea agreement for compliance with the public interest and approved it with its verdict. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) states that if the convicted person fails to comply with the terms of the agreement, it will file a motion with the High Anti-Corruption Court to overturn the verdict and have the case heard under the general procedure.
Charges were filed in February 2024 against members of the criminal organization for misappropriating seized petroleum products. On September 5, 2025, the High Anti-Corruption Court approved a plea agreement with another defendant in the same case, who was sentenced to 8 years of imprisonment but was released from serving the principal sentence with a 3-year probationary period and without confiscation of property; Under the terms of the agreement, he transferred UAH 40 million to the Defense Forces and is required to pay UAH 110 million to the state budget over a period of 3 years from the date the sentence takes effect.
