The case of the "Polygraph Combine": Ukraine has for the first time returned more than 3 million euros from abroad

The case of the "Polygraph Combine": Ukraine has for the first time returned more than 3 million euros from abroad

3.377 million euros (approximately 163 million UAH at the NBU exchange rate) will be transferred to the state budget by a French company related to the NABU and SAPO case regarding abuses at SE “Polygraph Combine “Ukraine”.

This is the first compensation in the history of anti-corruption bodies to be paid by a foreign entity.

The agreement with the company was concluded by the National Financial Prosecutor’s Office of France on July 8, and approved by a court in Paris on September 3.

The NABU and SAPO investigation established that the Polygraph Combine was purchasing materials from the French company at inflated prices through an Estonian intermediary company, and the former director of the state enterprise received an illicit benefit in the form of copyrights to the designs of document security elements.

A total of 8 individuals have been notified of suspicion in this case, including the former head of the state enterprise.

This result was made possible thanks to a joint investigation team of NABU, SAPO, law enforcement officers from France and Estonia under the auspices of Eurojust. Cooperation with foreign colleagues was established through the OECD GLEN platform - the Global Network of Law Enforcement Practitioners, which helped establish sustainable and partner relations with a large number of countries. The STAR (Stolen Asset Recovery) initiative also played an important role in the process.

The work on effectively representing Ukraine’s interests in the French court was coordinated by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office.

We thank the international partners, SAPO, and the International Legal Department of the National Bureau for their professional cooperation.