NABU, SAPO expose Ternopil region tax officials extorting bribes from businesses

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) have exposed a bribery scheme involving tax officials in the Ternopil region, according to a report by Interfax-Ukraine. The investigation revealed that a deputy head of the State Tax Service's main directorate and the head of one of its territorial units established a scheme to enrich themselves by manipulating the results of tax audits.

The officials would identify supposed multimillion-hryvnia violations and offer to substantially reduce the penalty amounts in official documents. Throughout spring and summer 2026, the perpetrators received a total of EUR 75,000 in illegal benefits from representatives of two companies. In June, tax officials demanded an 11.5% kickback from another company in exchange for unimpeded budget reimbursement of over UAH 14.6 million in VAT. The crime was uncovered when the bribe was being handed over through an intermediary.

Brief written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine's own syndicated text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.