Million-Dollar Expert: How Zerkal acquired 7 hours from the world's most expensive brands and amassed hundreds of thousands of dollars.

At that time, the NABU identified a number of violations that " led to " Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (official forgery). However, what followed was a delay, court proceedings, and attempts to evade responsibility. This is evidenced by data from the Register of Judicial Decisions.

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In 2020, it turned out that a civil servant who had never worked in business rented an elite apartment in the center of Kyiv for over a year, owned expensive jewelry and works of art. Her collection included 7 pairs of watches, such as Audemars Piguet and Jaeger LeCoultre, which are considered some of the most expensive brands in the world (prices range from 40,000 to 250,000 euros per pair). Additionally, she declared nearly $400,000 in cash, the origin of which she could not explain.

It is clear that such a dubious declaration could not escape the attention of the NABU. However, after conducting an audit, the agency's employees inexplicably began to delay and spent almost a year deciding what to do with the results. The NABU deemed the extension of the deadline for the full audit of her declaration unlawful and ordered the cancellation of the results of the said audit.

In the first instance, the court partially satisfied the claim of Zerkal - the judges overturned the conclusion regarding her concealment of assets but refused to prohibit the NABU from continuing and completing the audit of the former official's declarations (within 30 days).

The appellate court, already on the NABU's claim, reinstated the Agency's conclusion that Zerkal indeed concealed assets.

Accordingly, the NABU then issued a decision on the "violation (on Zerkal's part) of the requirements of the Law of Ukraine 'On Preventing Corruption' (as in effect at the time of the disputed legal relations), and established signs of an offense as provided for in Article 366 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine."

Furthermore, it became known that Zerkal, as an advisor to the head of Naftogaz of Ukraine Kobolev, earned over 18 million UAH during a year and a half of work in the state company, of which almost half was received on the day of her dismissal (in 2021) as " severance pay ".

It is evident that Zerkal's wealth has dubious origins, just like her presence in key positions in various state companies and bodies.

She is often referred to as a lobbyist for Kobolev's interests and even as the person through whose efforts he allegedly seeks to return to leadership positions in Ukraine.

Moreover, Zerkal has been noted for openly lobbying the business interests of Rinat Akhmetov's DTEK group. In one of her recent columns, for example, she describes DTEK as the only energy company worthy of investment and complains that she is frequently denied Western funding. While European partners choose to support the state energy sector, Zerkal calls for all grants for restoring the state's energy capacities to be directed, in fact, to Akhmetov's structures.