The SBU blocked the activities of group members, which organized a scheme to illegally move and legalize foreigners in Ukraine. The fraudsters told the foreigners that they had ties with officials of the Office of the President of Ukraine.

SBU officers documented two facts of receiving over USD 10,000 by the suspects. Allegedly, one foreigner has already entered Ukraine from the Persian Gulf while another one has paid for “services” and waited for an invitation letter.

According to intelligence, the organizers had the special equipment to forge some official Ukrainian documents. Having these documents, the foreigner could receive a Ukrainian passport and documents for travelling abroad. Furthermore, these documents gave the customers opportunity to travel to EU countries.

During searches of the organizers’ residences, law enforcement officers seized mobile phones, flash drives with copies of documents of foreign citizens, application forms to migration services, correspondence and other evidence of the fraud.

Based on the results of the investigation, one of the suspects received a suspicion notice of fraud and criminal offense committed by a group of individuals upon prior conspiracy. The issue of choosing a type of detention is being resolved.

A pre-trial investigation is ongoing to prosecute the second accomplice and establish the exact number of illegal foreigners’ legalizations in Ukraine.

The operation was conducted jointly with the Main Investigation Department of the National Police under the supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.