Some UAH 15 mln seized from former MP, Party of Regions member Makeienko transferred to ARMA
Based on evidence from the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), a court has granted a motion by prosecutors from the Office of the Prosecutor General to transfer UAH 15 million seized during a search of former Party of Regions MP Volodymyr Makeienko to the management of the Asset Recovery and Management Agency (ARMA).
According to an SBI statement on Telegram Friday, the funds were confiscated from the ex-deputy during a search as part of a criminal investigation into tax evasion and money laundering.
"The owner of the assets is a member of parliament of the 1st, 3rd–7th convocations, a former deputy head of the Party of Regions faction and former head of the Kyiv City State Administration," the SBI said. While the Bureau did not name the individual, the reference is to Makeienko.
In July 2025, the court also transferred over UAH 1.5 billion (more than $35 million) to ARMA in connection with the same investigation. These funds and securities had been held in accounts at a bank in Luxembourg and were frozen during the inquiry.
According to investigators, the former MP ran a hidden overseas business for years, controlling offshore companies registered in Panama, Hong Kong, Cyprus, and the British Virgin Islands. These companies generated significant annual profits, but no taxes were paid to the Ukrainian budget.
"Between 2011 and 2018, he received foreign income totaling more than UAH 387 million. He failed to pay personal income tax and the military levy on this money, amounting to UAH 71.4 million," the Bureau reported.
In September 2024, in cooperation with the Security Service of Ukraine and the State Financial Monitoring Service, the former MP was served a notice of suspicion for large-scale tax evasion that deprived the state budget of particularly significant sums (Part 3, Article 212 of the Criminal Code).
During searches of his residences and business premises, authorities seized more than $340,000, EUR 29,700, CHF 2,000, and UAH 87,400 – altogether worth over UAH 15 million at the National Bank of Ukraine's exchange rate. Given the evidence of illicit origin, the court placed the funds under arrest.