Internal probe ongoing against Ukraine’s deputy prosecutor general over lifestyle concerns

An official internal investigation is being conducted regarding Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi following a media report into his family assets.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin announced the probe this on the air of the national telethon, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"I take journalistic investigations very seriously. I signed an order to conduct an internal investigation into those facts. The National Agency for Corruption Prevention is running an investigation into Verbytskyi's lifestyle. In addition, I’m aware that the National Anti-corruption Bureau has also initiated a pre-trial investigation," Kostin said.

At the same time, he noted that the law on the prosecutor's office does not provide for suspending a prosecutor at the stage of an internal probe.

"For me, the most important thing is to establish the truth and make the most balanced and unbiased decision. I spoke with Mr. Verbytskyi, he conveyed his arguments and explanations regarding the situation. By the way, he is running a number of high-profile criminal cases, where the targets are very interested in seeing him suspended and even sacked," said the Prosecutor General.

According to Kostin, in a letter to the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada, he drew attention to these circumstances and suggested postponing the hearing regarding Verbytsky until the investigation is completed.

As Ukrinform reported earlier, in May, the Schemes media investigative project found out that Deputy Prosecutor General Dmytro Verbytskyi lives in an elite uptown neighborhood Konyk in Kyiv, in the house his nephew bought by proxy from an Odesa businessman for over UAH 2 million, while the market value of such real estate is six times higher.

In addition, according to journalists, Verbytskyi's girlfriend Khrystyna Ilnytska in 2024 became the owner of elite property worth at least UAH 52 million.

Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin on June 19 did not report to the Verkhovna Rada hearing where he had been invited by lawmakers over the Verbytskyi case.