€75 thousand from business: NABU exposed corruption scheme in tax office

In Ternopil region, NABU and SAPO have exposed two tax officials suspected of systematically receiving bribes from businesses. According to the investigation, they received €75,000 and demanded 11.5% for VAT refunds.

This was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine.

According to the investigation, the deputy head of the Main Department of the State Tax Service in Ternopil region and the head of one of the territorial divisions established a scheme to earn money based on the results of tax audits.

Officials allegedly discovered multimillion-dollar violations at companies, and then offered to significantly reduce the amounts of fines in official documents in exchange for a reward.

During the spring and summer of 2026, they, according to the investigation, received €75,000 in illegal benefits from a representative of two companies.

In June, officials also demanded an 11.5% “kickback” from another company for unhindered budget VAT reimbursement in the amount of over 14.6 million hryvnias .

While transferring money through an intermediary, law enforcement officers uncovered the scheme. The deputy head of the Ternopil region’s traffic police department and her subordinate were detained.

Both were reported under suspicion under Part 4 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Law enforcement officers are also investigating the possible involvement of other officials of the regional tax service.

Recall that previously, NABU conducted searches at the tax service as part of an investigation into events related to risky enterprises.

Also recently, NABU and SAPO exposed a corruption scheme led by an official of the Prosecutor General’s Office . According to the investigation, its participants systematically received bribes from fraudulent call centers.

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