The NACP discovered illegal assets worth 23 million UAH of a customs officer from Transcarpathia.

According to ТСН: An area of 1600 sq.m, a house of 330 sq.m in Uzhhorod, and a brand new 2024 car: The National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption (NACP) together with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) discovered unauthorized assets worth 23 million UAH of Transcarpathian customs officer Vasyl Pupena.

The NACP sent the results of its lifestyle analysis of the customs clearance officer of the Tysa customs post of the Transcarpathian customs, Vasyl Pupena, to the Office of the General Prosecutor.

The General Prosecutor's Office is to initiate a pre-trial investigation under Article 368-5 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – illegal enrichment, as reported by the NACP.

According to the NACP, in September 2022, the officer’s mother purchased the land for 40,100 UAH. However, according to expert evaluations, the market value of this plot at that time was nearly 1.8 million UAH.

In the summer of 2023, a residential building was constructed on this plot, where the officer moved in together with his family. The value of the house exceeds 19 million UAH.

According to the officer’s parents, the property was purchased and built partly with their savings, partly with loans from acquaintances, and the construction work was allegedly carried out 'by their own means'.

The 2024 SKODA KODIAQ car was purchased by the customs officer's wife at the end of 2024 for over 1.9 million UAH, claiming that the car was bought with money from the sale of previous vehicles.

Insufficient official funds

The analysis of the officer's and his family's income and expenses showed that their official income does not cover all expenses. The loans referenced by the customs officer's relatives lacked financial confirmations and appear suspicious.

Previously, Vasyl Pupena became the subject of investigation by the Khapuga.ua project.

In addition to the possible illegal enrichment facts identified by the NACP, journalists from the project discovered that at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, Vasyl Pupena obtained a fictitious disability to avoid mobilization. However, the disability was canceled, and he is now suing the Ministry of Health to restore his pension payments.

The customs officer also uses so-called 'cover' plates, designated for employees of national security and defense forces, law enforcement officers, and high-ranking officials who have state protection. There is a possibility that a vehicle with these plates was used to monitor the journalistic group during the filming of this investigation.

The identified facts from Vasyl Pupena's life may indicate systemic problems in the fight against corruption in Ukraine. Monitoring the activities of customs service representatives who have access to significant financial turnover emphasizes the importance of transparency in state structures. The situation with fictitious disability also adds new nuances to the ethics of civil servants' behavior during the war.