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Omelyan in December 2017 ordered to cut by 20% all port fees (except lighthouse dues).
An indictment against former Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan over the alleged UAH 30.5 million (US$1.1 million) damage inflicted to the national budget has been forwarded to the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).
The former minister in December 2017 issued an order to cut by 20% all port fees (except lighthouse dues). At the same time, one of these fees the administrative one is a part of the national budget's revenue. At the same time, it is only the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, not the minister, could alter them, as reported by the press service of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) on Facebook.
Moreover, the Finance Ministry opposed the move, emphasizing that it will lead to a shortfall in the budget's revenue, of which it repeatedly informed the infrastructure ministry.
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Later, the Infrastructure Ministry recognized that the order to reduce the fees failed to reach its stated goal.
To date, the indictment under Part 2 of Article 211 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (issuance of regulations or directives by an official, which modify budget revenues and expenses contrary to the procedures prescribed by law, where large amounts of budget funds are involved) was forwarded to the HACC for consideration on the merits.
The date and time of the preparatory hearing is yet to be announced.
Background
Detectives with the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on June 19 handed Omelyan a suspicion notice.
On August 14, the anti-graft watchdog announced the completion of the probe against the former minister.
Omelyan headed the Infrastructure Ministry in 2016-2019.