This accusation was first disseminated on 23 May 2017 a press conference given by the 'Narodnyi Front' Member of Parliament Pavlo Pynzenyk. There, Pynzenyk unveiled a video compilation produced by the NGO "National Interest", which argued that AntAC siphons off project funding through the accounts of private entrepreneurs. Later, in live television speeches given by Pynzenyk, he consistently re-iterated similar statements. These accusations were allegedly based on information as to the sums and flows of funds in the personal accounts of AntAC board members. Subsequently, these videos were deleted from the websites on which they were hosted.

Notably, Pynzenyk stated: "…despite the high salaries of this organization members' funds were additionally transferred to private entrepreneurs. For example, private entrepreneur V. Shabunin received 1,7 million UAH in 2016-2017 … famous Daria Kaleniuk received 130 thousand UAH, private entrepreneur Ustinova received 1,86 million UAH from the AntAC NGO…".

These statements are false, and they could easily have been fact-checked by the MP himself.

The head of AntAC's Executive Board Mr. Shabunin closed his registration as a private entrepreneur on 27 January 2017. This information is freely accessibly on the official website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. Mr. Shabunin, when a private entrepreneur earned in 2016 a total of 555,337 UAH which is confirmed by the electronic declaration for 2016 that he submitted to the website of the National Agency on Corruption Prevention (NACP). Tax reports to the State Fiscal Service also confirm this information. From 1 October 2016, Shabunin is under employment at AnTAC and received a gross salary that amounted to 255,155 UAH for the period of between 1 October 2016 and 31 December 2016. This is confirmed by the electronic declaration on NACP website. From October 2016 to January 2017, when Shabunin suspended his registration as a private entreupreuneur, he did not receive any income from AnTAC emanating from business activities. This is further confirmed by additional reporting for 2016. Shabunin has never been remunerated for his work and services by AnTAC as both employee under an employment contract and as a private entrepreneur at the same time.

The sum quoted by Pynzenyk is entirely ficticious. AntAC's Executive Director Daria Kaleniuk has been under an employment contract with AntAC since February 2013. On 28 December 2016, she removed her name from the register of private entreupreuners. This information is freely accessible on the official website of the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine. In 2016, Kaleniuk did not receive any income from entrepreneurial activity, this is confirmed by her tax declaration for 2016. Moreover, Kaleniuk never received payment from AntAC as a private entrepreneur.

AntAC's Executive Board members Oleksandra Ustinova is registered as a private entrepreneur and receives payments from AnTAC for her works and services, according to agreements and work completion certificates for the production of particular results: publications, analysis, communication strategies, negotiations, etc. Amounts quoted by Pynzenyk are fictitious and can be refuted by tax department statements.

"…all these things are obviously violation of Ukrainian legislation, which regulates the activities of non-profit organizations and could at least cause the suspension of non-profit status of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre." – V. Pynzenyk.

AntAC does not profit from its activities or funds, which are obtained from international organizations and are used solely for the financing of detailed projects in accordance with agreements, project applications and in strict adherence of AntAC's statutory objectives, the requirements of donors and in line with Ukrainian legislation. For example, in reply to the absurd accusations from GPO the US Embassy stated: "AntAC was working effectively and reported on every penny" and added that they "are proud to be partners!" From 16 July 2012, AnTAC is permanently registered on the Register of the Non-profit Organizations.

On 4 November 2016, AnTAC confirmed its status as a non-profit organization according to legislative amendments (Decision No. 1626554601498 dated November 04, 2016) meaning that we are carrying out our activities in line with current legislation, in particular the requirements of Article 133.4 of the Tax Code of Ukraine and the provisions of our statute (amended as of October 06, 2016). This is also confirmed by external regular audit findings for 2014, 2015 and 2016. If someone had reasonable grounds to believe that we are not deserving of this status then why has the tax service confirmed it after its auditing of all our documents?

Mr. Pynzenyk, a Member of the Ukraininan Parliament and Acting Head of the Committee on Rules of Parliamentary Procedure and Support to Work of The Verkhovna Rada (Parliament) of Ukraine should have asked for the advice of his colleagues from the Tax Committee on this issue, before demonstrating his ignorance in legislation to the whole country. Moreover, Mr. Pynzenyk confirmed that he had all our documents (which begs the question, where did he get them?) and that he was going to spread them among diplomatic officials of the G7 countries. Yet, for now, the only evidence we see of such "spreading" is in the posts and blogs of unknown people online, who are repeating these lies and nonsense about AntAC.

In May 2017, Vitaliy Shabunin, Head of the Board of AnTAC, started receiving public threats for alleged "draft evasion". At first these came from the videblogger of the internet-channel "Holos Narodu", who announced the submitting of requests to the military enlistment office. Later, public threats were coming from "Union of Military Intelligence Veterans", a hitherto absolutely unknown and hurriedly registered organization. Some representatives of the Union threatened to deliver Shabunin to the military enlistment office and publicly slandered him for dodging his military service. Shortly after the threats were received, three enlistment officers accompanied by unknown persons with video cameras came to Shabunin's house and delivered a military subpoena. They could not explain the reason of subpoena delivery, nor why the "escort" who filmed the process was present. That same evening, the video was released by a videoblogger on the channel "Holos Narodu" under the pretext that Shabunin is avoiding military service.

In fact, Shabunin was not on the register (of the military enlistment office) at his place of residence, as he could not be mobilized for military service for other reasons. This reason Vitaly could not be mobilized is that he is not a reserve officer. Moreover, until the end of 2011Vitaliy had legitimate grounds for not serving in the military, first, as he was a student, and immediately after as he was a serving member of Rivne City Council. Once he had stepped down, he was older than the mandatory conscription age. Vitaliy does not have military profession because he did not study at the military department (of the university). Moreover, in 2005, he was recognized as "unfit for military service in peacetime and partially fit in wartime" due to his health. Representatives of the military enlistment office where Vitaliy Shabunin was called were "shocked because of what is happening" and had no claims in relation to Vitaliy. They suggested that he apply to a local military enlistment office, which Shabunin did that day. In his local military enlistment office he has been appointed to the medical board. The board once again recognized him as "partially fit" for the military service.

As it was found out later, the officers from the military enlistment office were sent to Shabunin's house up on the request of the military prosecution office headed by Anatoliy Matios. This was allegedly part of a broad operation for searching and punishing army deserters. For some reason as a result of this operation military enlistment office found Vitaliy Shabunin instead of deserters. Notably, the officers visited Vitaliy's house just one week after AntAC submitted a law suit against Chief Military Prosecutor Anatoliy Matios for hiding illegally asset declarations. Officers, who visited Vitaliy's house to deliver him a notice violated the law by doing this and were sanctioned for having exceeded their powers.

On the day of Vitaliy's visit to the military enlistment office, the videoblogger Filimonenko along with his colleagues were waiting for him. These individuals have been systematically harassing AntAC team, using the personal data of our team members leaked by law enforcement agencies (in our view – by the SSU). The goal of such harassment is to provoke and morally destabilize our employees. Indeed, with their harassment and insults, they made a member of the Board of AntAC, Oleksandra Ustinova, cry. When Shabunin encountered these provocateurs, he punched one. Vitaliy had initially forbidden them to film him, and warned that his actions were the result of the insults directed at Ustinova. A video of the punch was filmed by the blogger's сolleagues. Later near the military enlistment office, the videoblogger continued his provocations and pepper sprayed Vitaliy Shabunin and another journalists in the face. These events were also filmed. As a result, Shabunin went to the hospital from the military enlistment office to rinse his eyes and the injured journalists called the police. The videoblogger and his entourage tried to present the punch as an "attack on a journalist", ironic considering that this is just a provocateur and real journalists were injured. Moreover, although after the punch he was cheerful, refusing hospitalization, that evening he went to the doctors and showed in a live TV interview his 'injuries' from the 'beating' that he received.

Vitaliy Shabunin did indeed hit the provocateur and will be held accountable according to the law. The videoblogger who was punched is the head and co-founder of the regional political party in the Luhansk "5.10", a well as an assistant to the "Radical Party" MP Serhiy Melnychuk. In 2012, he was kicked out of the CHESNO civil movement for the "violation of principles and neglect of the values of civic initiative". The reason for this was video and audio files, which were released on the internet, where this blogger demanded a bribe from the election agents of an MP candidate in one of the districts of Lugansk region.

AntAC activities and activists is facing a sustained high level of interest from law enforcement agencies. We record the facts when information about our plans, discussions, actions appears later on various social media and in the public domain. Information of this kind could be gotten hold of only via covert investigative actions. In other words, wiretapping, which is likely performed illegally against us. Law enforcement agencies are now preparing well in advance to rebut our cricisim of their actions.

The National Police started an investigation of alleged misappropriation of international technical assistance committed with the participation of the Anti-Corruption Action Centre following the appeal of MP Andriy Derkach. The AntAC considers those actions as pressure and believes that it was done in order to obtain court permission for investigative actions against the organization.

In social networks, Derkach published fabricated scheme of misappropriations of funds of incredible amount $ 142.9 million allegedly involving AntAC. Notably, the police opened an investigation on the day the application was received.

The absurdity of the statement is that neither the AntAC nor any of the members of the organization have ever received even about the same amount of money during more than eight years of existence of the organization. That is why the organization appealed to the law enforcement agencies for a deliberately false message about the crime by MP.

Along with the smear campaign in Ukraine, our enemies are working to discredit AntAC abroad as well.

Initially, they were anonymously sending to foreign journalistst and decision-makers the abovementioned false information in English. This was conducted in such a way that our enemies were attempting to paint a picture of misspending of Western funds by AntAC through the confidential financial data that had been obtained by law enforcement agencies .

Thereafter, defamatory 'revealations' that were specially targeted at an American audience were spread in top political circles of the US. These 'revalations' sought to engender suspicion that AnTAC's founders had engaged in "illicit enrichement" (such term can be used only for public officials, however) and the "appropriation of foreign donors' project funds". This campaign was conducted without any supporting evidence. A separate section of the information that was circulated concerned AntAC's connections to George Soros, a known critic of US President Donald Trump. The Ukrainian division of Soros' Open Society Foundation has been supporting AntAC for several years.

In our view, these "papers" were manufactured by people who are well aware of the domestic political situation in the US, perhaps lobbyists, and who are in close cooperation with the Ukrainian Government or its officials. We are clarifying the origin of these materials now.