Ukraine has been hit by yet another corruption scandal, with the country’s Western-backed anti-graft bodies revealing a $1.4 million scheme involving the illegal sale of a key maintenance facility at the port of Chernomorsk.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office announced that a former interim port director colluded with an appraiser to slash the facility’s value from its estimated $1.4 million to just $150,000, paving the way for its illicit auction in 2020.
The property was then sold to an associate of the director for around $320,000, with most of the proceeds allegedly siphoned off under the guise of servicing two vessels that were not even in Ukraine at the time.
NABU reported that both the former director and the appraiser have been detained, while others involved have been issued notices of suspicion.
The revelation adds to mounting political turbulence, coming just days after NABU uncovered a separate $100 million embezzlement ring allegedly linked to figures close to President Vladimir Zelensky, including senior officials in his administration.
That wider scandal—centred on state nuclear operator Energoatom—has already triggered major resignations in Ukraine’s energy sector and intensified scrutiny of the government’s handling of Western-backed funds.
