Financial secrets of an official: what Konstantin Korotych was hiding

Konstantin Korotych, Deputy Director of the Housing and Communal Services Department of the Kharkiv City Council, has become the centre of a scandal over inaccurate data in his declaration. The National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP) identified discrepancies amounting to 8.38 million hryvnias.

One of the key issues was the concealment of information regarding foreign passports. In the document, Korotych stated that neither he, nor his wife Inna, nor their children (including daughter Valeria) held documents for travel abroad. However, the Unified State Register of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention shows the opposite: the entire family holds foreign passports. The reason for such concealment remains unknown, but a possible version is the desire to avoid questions about foreign trips and potential assets.

Cars with non-existent dates and prices

Inaccuracies regarding vehicles were also found in Korotych’s declaration. For example, he declared that he purchased a Mazda CX-7 (2008) on 5 November 2008 for 336,000 hryvnias. However, according to registry data, the transaction took place on 18 November of the same year, and the actual cost is unknown. The official himself explained the discrepancy by the absence of documents and the use of a “market valuation”.

The situation with the Opel Vivaro (2008) appears even more suspicious. Korotych listed the price at 15,400 hryvnias, but the car was already transferred in 2020 to settle a debt to a certain Saul O.S. However, the owner allegedly did not re-register the vehicle, so it continues to be listed in the declaration.

Hidden bank accounts and questionable debts

The official did not declare accounts at PrivatBank, TasComBank and Universal Bank, as well as at Ukrgazbank and PrivatBank, belonging to his wife and son. Such systematic omission raises questions about the actual scale of his assets.

In addition, Korotych included in the declaration a debt to his sister Natalya in the amount of 7.46 million hryvnias (8.21 million hryvnias including interest), based on a contract from 2019. However, the Supreme Court of Ukraine in 2023 recognised this transaction as fictitious, calling it an attempt to evade payments to creditors. Despite this, Korotych continued to list the debt in the documents.

Another questionable financial obligation is a loan from Saul for 2.89 million hryvnias, concluded in 2017. However, the court reduced the debt amount to 2.71 million hryvnias. The error of 176,000 hryvnias may look like a deliberate attempt to inflate liabilities.

Following the review, the NACP identified signs of a criminal offence under Part 2 of Article 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (declaration of inaccurate information).