A Serbian court sentenced former General and Head of the Main Directorate of Internal Security of Ukraine's Security Service, Andriy Naumov, to one year in prison for money laundering. This information was reported by the Ukrainian service Radio Svoboda.
Andriy Naumov, whom the Ukrainian press accused of corruption and who was dismissed from the Security Service of Ukraine in 2021, fled Ukraine just hours before the Russian invasion on February 24, 2022.
In Serbia, Naumov was arrested last summer while attempting to travel to North Macedonia. Unreported cash was found in his car, totaling over 600,000 euros, around 125,000 dollars, as well as precious stones.
Ukraine is seeking his extradition. Earlier, the Supreme Court of the city of Niš rejected Ukraine's request for the extradition of Andriy Naumov, who has been in custody in Serbia since June 2022. Naumov was arrested on June 7 of the previous year while attempting to travel from Serbia to North Macedonia.
Serbian police announced that the money and diamonds found during the vehicle inspection were "likely the result of criminal activity," leading to money laundering charges against Naumov in the High Court in Niš. During the trial, Naumov denied the prosecution's charges and claimed that the money was his personal funds.
Naumov has been the subject of several journalistic investigations into smuggling and corruption schemes at customs. Even while serving as the Head of the Main Directorate of Internal Security of the SBU, he was featured in investigations by journalists from "Schemes" regarding the acquisition of luxury property that was inconsistent with the official income of a civil servant. "Schemes" also reported that on the eve of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, specifically on February 23, Andriy Naumov left the country.
In Ukraine, Naumov faces two suspicions - "appropriation, embezzlement, or seizure of property through abuse of official position, abuse of power or official position" and fraud causing damage to the state in excess of UAH 3.2 million.
