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A case worth 54 million: NABU completes investigation of Golden Tangerine

A case worth 54 million: NABU completes investigation of Golden Tangerine

Tetiana Bodnarenko Journalist

12 January 2026, 19:18

A case worth 54 million: NABU completes investigation of Golden Tangerine — NABU completes investigation into Golden Tangerine

The anti-corruption authorities have put an end to one of the most high-profile budget scandals related to the ECHR judgement and the repeated payment of funds from the state treasury.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office have completed a pre-trial investigation into the case of misappropriation and legalisation of over UAH 54 million of public funds, known as the Golden Mandarin case. This was reported by the NABU and the SAPC.

According to the investigation, in 2013-2016, a former member of the Ukrainian parliament organised a criminal scheme in which the state was misled during the consideration of a case in the European Court of Human Rights. The case concerned an allegedly unenforced court decision in a dispute between Zolotoy Mandarin Oil LLC and Kyivenergo PJSC.

In September 2013, a representative of a private company applied to the ECHR to recover UAH 54.179 million from the Ukrainian budget, claiming that the court decision had not been enforced for a long time. At the same time, the detectives found that the company did not actually try to recover the debt, as its accounts and property were arrested due to debts to a state bank, and the company's director was facing criminal proceedings for financial fraud.

In addition, the investigation found out that on the eve of applying to the ECHR, the right of claim to Kyivenergo was assigned to another company, and the money for this was actually received. This fact was hidden from the court.

Later, according to the investigation, with the assistance of the then leadership of the Ministry of Justice, a declaration on the amicable settlement of the dispute was prepared, by which the state actually recognised its responsibility. On this basis, the funds were re-paid from the state budget, after which they were legalised through conversion centres.

Six people have been exposed in the case. The former MP was served with a notice of suspicion in 2023 after losing his immunity. The materials are currently open to the defence for review.

NABU, SAPC, Golden Mandarin, ECHR, state budget

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