Vitaly Vlasyuk. Competition in NABU
The Commission for the selection of the director of NABU had a question about how Vitaliy Vlasyuk, deputy head of the Kyiv region, established a business in cryptocurrency mining. SUG.
Interviews regarding the integrity of candidates for the position of director of NABU are ongoing. On February 20, an interview with Vitaly Vlasyuk, the deputy head of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration (KOVA), continued for more than an hour.
He made a significant part of his capital from cryptocurrency mining, which raised many difficult questions from the Commission.
Vitaly Vlasyuk decided to speak in English so that the international members of the Commission would understand him perfectly. He mentioned that he knew 5 languages.
The first question concerned two apartments in Kyiv, land plots in Kozin, Lexus and Tesla cars. Nikolay Kucheryavenko, the Chairman of the Commission, asked for an explanation of the funds for these acquisitions.Please explain the origin of the funds for the acquisition of this property“, – said the Chairman of the Commission Nikolay Kucheryavenko.
“In 2004, at the age of 16, I was registered as a private entrepreneur. Since then, I have earned about 15 million UAH.‘ the candidate replied.
He was also asked to explain the origin of funds for the Omega watch and an old icon. To this he responded in the same way.
Member of the Commission Drago Kos asked why Vitaliy Vlasyuk desired to apply for the head of NABU.Considering the positions that you have held and have repeatedly criticized NABU publicly, explain why you are applying for the position, because the salary of the director of NABU is much lower than you earn now“.
Vlasyuk replied that he was guided by a sense of social responsibility, and his salary now is about 1,000 US dollars.
He also noted that his family is abroad, but at the beginning of the full-scale invasion, he remained in Ukraine.
Drago Kos noted that according to the tax service, Vlasyuk’s official income is 4 million.This income is for 2020 only.“, Vlasyuk replied.
“Last year I earned only 800 thousand UAH, because I became the Deputy Chairman of the Kyiv region, but before the income was not badhe added.
Member of the Commission Povilas Malakauskas asked the candidate about his bitcoin business: what equipment Vitaly Vlasyuk uses to mine bitcoins, how much he invested in equipment, how much he spends, how much he pays for electricity, what profit is received and how much taxes are paid.
“These two things cost $300,000.”— said Vitaliy Vlasyuk, showing permanent flash wallets.
“We have different equipment because we have been in this process since 2017. We mined not only bitcoins, but also Bitkesh, Ether and other cryptocurrencies. We tried to take advantage of this process. In April 2017, each instrument cost about $1,000. We then sold them for $4,000 each. And then the rate went from $1,000 per bitcoin to $9,000 per bitcoin.
Therefore, we played with it and earned“, – Vlasyuk emphasized.
“On electricity – we have created data centers, this is a room in the basement, where dozens of machines are installedhe added.
The candidate also mentioned the amount spent on electricity.I paid 25 thousand UAH per month in November 2020, which was very profitable.“. “How much did you pay in taxes?– Povilas Malakauskas said.
“I paid 5% of my income. For example, if I mined 1 bitcoin per month, I paid 5% of that amount,the candidate replied.
“What was the income?– however, the member of the Commission tried to clarify.
“95% was income.Vlasyuk replied to this.
“What is the exact amount in absolute terms?– Povilas Malakauskas did not calm down.
“I declared it. You can check this amount with the tax authorities. For example, in 2020 my official income was just over 4 million UAH. Let’s say UAH 3 million in income per year was from cryptocurrency mining. Essentially, profit– said Vlasyuk.
“Do I understand correctly that UAH 4 million was your profit? Or income?– asked Malakauskas to clarify it.
“Yes, I am registered on the 3rd group as an entrepreneur and I paid 5%was the answer.
When asked how much the candidate spent on equipment and its maintenance, he answered that it was about UAH 20-25 thousand per month. At the same time, Vitaly Vlasyuk could not say exactly how many bitcoins can be obtained using this amount of electricity.
Vitaly Vlasyuk. Competition in NABU
Member of the Commission Oleksiy Savchuk asked whether the costs of depreciation, rent, etc. are considered. Vlasyuk said that he was not an accountant – he received bitcoins and partially exchanged them for hryvnia and dollars.
Nikolay Kucheryavenko asked to clarify the information about the earned bitcoins. The candidate said that there were different wallets on the exchanges, as well as permanent (“cold wallets”), but he is not sure that he can give a complete list of the transactions carried out, since he had millions of these transactions.
Vitaliy Vlasyuk also noted that there is no lease agreement,some of the equipment we had in the garage, in other places, because this equipment can also be used as a heating system“.
“There are no documents for rent, for equipment … According to this logic, it is possible to formally legalize the receipt of any income– said Alexei Savchuk.
Vitaliy Vlasyuk noted that in Ukraine there is no legal regulation on cryptocurrency mining and there is no corresponding explanation from the NAPC.
“The data center is located in one of our family’s premises. I’m not sure that when you buy a computer, you always have documents for this computer– said Vlasyuk.
“Do you understand that in this way you can legalize any income? Any person can show so in order to legalize his wealth acquired illegally– Savchuk emphasized.
“My answer will be simple – yes. And this is a question that should be settled by the relevant state authorities. Cryptocurrencies appeared quite unexpectedly, and it is quite natural that the state is lagging behind in this situation. But you have to take it very seriously.– said Vitaly Vlasyuk.
Also, according to him, his family owns a network of pharmacies. On December 28, 2020, you were issued a power of attorney to use the apartment on Institutskaya Street by your mother. How much was this apartment purchased for? Nikolai Kucheryavenko asked. I don’t remember exactly, perhaps, about UAH 12-15 million‘, said the candidate.
Also, a question arose regarding the claim to the GR at the NACP and disciplinary complaints against Vlasyuk as a lawyer from the NACP. “Such relations with the head of the NAPC will not create problems for you in your work?” asked the members of the Commission.
“Yes. We had a dispute with the head of the NAPC Alexander Novikov. He was interrogated in criminal proceedings. It’s his first time in the GBR. Subsequently, the Supreme Court rendered its decision. It is negative towards my client. But I respect this decision. I saw Novikov, shook his hand, and since April we have had a constructive relationship“, – said Vlasyuk.
About the judicial spore, where he represented the interests of the Altayur company, Vlasyuk noted that in the future he would probably “drink beer” with Alexander Novikov in order to find out the root causes of this dispute. Recall that the dispute consisted in the use of Altayur equipment by NAPC for the Register of declarations and non-payment of the corresponding amounts by NAPC to the company.
As before wrote Judicial-Yuridicheskaya Gazeta, February 20, 2023, integrity interviews with candidates for the position of director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) began.
The selection committee began an interview with the head of the Department for Combating Crimes Committed in the Conditions of Armed Conflict of the Office of the Prosecutor General Yury Belousov (for more details about the questions that have arisen, see link).
The second interview was held by the detective of the Fourth Division of Detectives of the Main Detective Division of NABU Mikhail Burtovoy. Numerous questions arose regarding his property and the property of relatives (details – link).
The third interview was held by the head of the department for representing the interests of the state on land relations of the Vinnytsia Regional Prosecutor’s Office Alexander Vikul.
