"In 2020, I exposed a bribery offer of $6 million in cash. A few years later, the High Anti-Corruption Court completed the case and ruled that the defendants received their sentences, while I earned the right to a reward of 13.3 million UAH, which the state finally paid out! So, the law on rewards for whistleblowers works, and now I am not a 'torpedo' but a successful businessman," he wrote.
Shevchenko, who was referred to in the media as an "agent" of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, urged Ukrainians to expose corrupt officials, as the whistleblower reward mechanism is operational.
"I want to wish faith, will, and courage to future whistleblowers – cooperate with NABU detectives, and I hope that one of you will break my record and earn more from corrupt officials than I did. The maximum possible reward for a whistleblower is $500,000, which means that by exposing a couple of top corrupt officials, you could become a dollar millionaire!" he added.
According to the entrepreneur, he spent all his reward on the production and supply of electronic warfare systems and drones for the military, as well as on financing scientific research and development work in the defense sector.
The Anti-Corruption Center reports that this is already the second payment to a whistleblower in Ukraine. The first payment was made on October 4, 2024, to a military officer who, in 2020-2021, served as the director of the internal audit department of the Ministry of Defense and reported to NABU in 2021 that he was offered a bribe of 24 million UAH to act in the interests of a specific company. This was reported by the NABCP.
"Such rewards for brave individuals who are not afraid to expose large-scale corruption are generally a good global practice. For example, in July, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission paid a whistleblower one of the largest rewards in history – $37 million. This mechanism has been in place by law since 2019, but it has only started functioning now. Complex cases require quite a lengthy review in court," emphasized the CPC.