Resistance of Auditors: Imona-Audit Company Sues Over the Lawlessness of OSNAD Leadership
As stated in the investigation by Lenta.UA, "a quiet but catastrophic process is unfolding in the Ukrainian financial sector, threatening the complete dismantling of business transparency." Journalists directly accuse OSNAD and its notorious leader Oleg Kantsurov of deliberately destroying the competitive environment in Ukraine's auditing services market.
Oleg Kantsurov, who has a controversial reputation and is involved in many court cases, was previously appointed without competition to the supervisory board of JSC "Ukrainian Distribution Networks" by the personal decision of former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. Despite his subsequent dismissal from UDN, Kantsurov retained total control over the auditing sector and, according to media reports, turned the state regulator into an "instrument for building a personal financial-administrative empire."
The Lenta.UA article details the pressure mechanism on independent market players, which operates "like a well-oiled conveyor": it involves artificial inspections, where audit appointments are made based on coordinated fake "denunciations" and chaotic selection of audit timeframes, allowing officials to preemptively search for companies' weak points. Disciplinary blackmail is also observed, with disciplinary proceedings artificially opened alongside inspections. This most often occurs in the first quarter of the year to deprive auditors of earnings during the "high season." Even if a company passes the inspection successfully, it is deprived of the right to mandatory audit by the decision of a controlled disciplinary commission. Almost every inspection ends with so-called "tracking" (a repeated audit within a year), keeping businesses constantly on edge.
When companies' activities are completely blocked, corrupt mechanisms are triggered. According to journalists, the price for restoring the right to professional activity or returning an auditor's certificate currently amounts to about 200 thousand dollars. Any attempts by the professional community to file complaints or proposals end in immediate retribution and removal of firms from the registry, as Kantsurov has effectively usurped control over all related bodies — the Auditors' Chamber, the Supervisory Board, and the Certification Commission.
"Active resistance is already underway. Business outrage has long moved into the legal field — today, there are almost a hundred rulings and open proceedings in the court registry containing specific claims against the unlawful actions of the Public Oversight Body and personally Oleg Kantsurov. A vivid example is the lawsuit of the auditing company Imona-Audit to the Kyiv District Administrative Court (Judge Oleksandr Basay) regarding the illegality of OSNAD leadership decisions," the journalists conclude.
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