The head of NAPC reacted to the appointment of a classmate as his deputy

The head of NAPC reacted to the appointment of a classmate as his deputy

The head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption, Viktor Pavlushchyk, has appointed the former head of the fourth investigation department of the State Bureau of Investigation in Khmelnytsky, former head of the Vinnytsia Region Prosecutor’s Office, Serhiy Hupyak, who was in the final of the competition for the head of the NAPC, as his deputy.

The NAPC recalled that in 2022-2023 Gupyak took part in the competition for the position of director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and even became one of the three winners of the competition. He also entered the final ten of the competition to elect the head of the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption.

The head of the Agency, Viktor Pavlushchyk, wrote on the Agency’s website that Serhiy Hupyak would be responsible for "implementing the already developed anti-corruption policies and measures" and would also work on strengthening the area of expert strategic analysis of corruption risks.

At the same time, two different sources in the anti-corruption agencies reported that Pavlushchyk and Hupyak were classmates at school. And appointing a classmate as a deputy head of an institution that monitors conflicts of interest is not the best signal from an institution such as the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption. Moreover, it was Gupyak, who participated in the competition for the NABU director and lost to Semen Kryvonos, who was strongly recommended by Prime Minister Shmyhal to be appointed deputy director of the NABU. However, the appointment did not take place, and during the competition for the NACP head, Hupyak was already linked to Bankova Street, which controls both the SBI and the prosecutor’s offices where he worked.

NAPC head Viktor Pavlushchyk confirmed in a commentary that Mr Hupiak was his classmate.

"We simply do not have time to train a person from another field. This is not the last appointment among the NACP’s management. I plan to form a top management team with different experience but common values to ensure the most complete assessment of the situation and a comprehensive view of solving problems in the areas covered by the NACP," he added.

As for the possible conflict of interest in Mr Hupyak’s appointment, the NACP’s Communications and Information Policy Department provided a more detailed comment:

"Indeed, Viktor Pavlushchyk and Serhiy Hupyak studied in the same class at Vinnytsia Lyceum No. 7 named after Oleksandr Sukhomovskyi in 2001-2003 (grades 10 and 11). This is a specialised lyceum, one of several in Ukraine, which has a law degree among its study programmes and prepares students for further higher education in law. Usually, the lyceum’s graduates, who have consciously chosen a legal profile, go on to enter specialised universities, such as the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law Academy, etc.

Many graduates of this lyceum are currently working in law enforcement and anti-corruption agencies of Ukraine.

The appointment of Serhiy Hupyak as Deputy Head is primarily due to the fact that he is best prepared for this work, as he was shortlisted for two competitions - for the position of NABU Head in 2023 and for the position of NACP Head in 2024. The knowledge and vision he has demonstrated at all stages of the competition for the position of the NACP Head make us confident that he is more ready than other candidates for the position of the Deputy Head to start working immediately, to overcome the challenges facing the Agency and to develop new directions.

Private interest is a prerequisite for a conflict of interest, and the NACP has repeatedly expressed the position that the mere fact of a person’s past employment or education is not an unconditional circumstance that indicates its existence. The relationship between the NACP Head and Serhiy Hupyak is purely business-related. They are not close persons within the meaning of the law, and there are no off-duty relations between them. They are united only by the common goal of working for the benefit of the state, building the anti-corruption infrastructure and strengthening the work on preventing corruption in Ukraine."

According to media sources in the NACP, one participant in the competitive selection for the head of the National Agency will soon take the position of another deputy head of the NACP.