Court refuses to lift seizure of assets belonging to Oksana Sorochynska's company

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) refused to lift the seizure of railway open wagons owned by the company "Novitne Obladnannia". The founder of this company is Oksana Sorochynska, the daughter of former Kyiv police chief Oleksandr Tereshchuk.

Attempt to unblock assets through the courts

Lawyers filed a motion on behalf of the companies "Novitne Obladnannia" and "Globalinfotech" demanding the lifting of the asset seizure. The restrictive measures were imposed within the framework of a criminal case related to the possible illegal appropriation of budget funds and their subsequent laundering. The investigation concerns contracts concluded with state institutions, including the National Council of Ukraine on Television and Broadcasting.

What exactly were they trying to unblock?

1. Assets of "Novitne Obladnannia":

   • Two non-residential premises in Kyiv (151.2 and 14.2 sq m).
   • A Toyota Land Cruiser 200 car.

2. Assets of "Globalinfotech":

   • 55 railway open wagons, previously seized by the court in 2023.
   • The companies claim that the wagons were purchased from "Novitne Obladnannia" for 65.9 million hryvnia.

Arguments of the parties

The defence insisted on lifting the seizure, arguing that the assets are unrelated to the criminal case and that the court is illegally restricting the owners' rights. However, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) presented evidence of a connection between the two companies, as well as overlapping staff and management. According to the investigation, the sale of the wagons was fictitious in nature, as it was concluded after the assets had already been seized.

Additionally, the investigation points to a questionable method of settlement: 65.9 million hryvnia were processed via promissory notes, while "Globalinfotech" recorded losses of 1.83 million hryvnia in 2023, which casts doubt on its financial capacity to conduct such a transaction.

Court decision and further actions

The court deemed the contract suspicious due to the absence of actual payments and the conclusion of the transaction during a period coinciding with the asset seizure. A criminal case No. 52024000000000094 dated 29 February 2024 has already been opened under Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official forgery) on this matter.

Furthermore, the court noted that this is already the fourth similar motion from "Globalinfotech" in 2024. Previous similar requests were rejected by the HACC on 5 March, 23 August, and 7 November 2024, which may indicate a deliberate attempt to delay the judicial process.

According to information from the detective agency ABSOLUTION