The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has changed the bail measure for Ihor Kolomoiskyi in the case of embezzlement of UAH 5.8 billion, setting it at UAH 3 billion 891 million, Suspilne reported on Friday evening.
Earlier it was reported that on the first suspicion Kolomoisky was granted bail in the amount of UAH 509 million, but yesterday Kolomoisky was informed of an additional suspicion of misappropriation of UAH 5.8 billion.
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the Bureau of Economic Security (BES) and the Prosecutor General’s Office have uncovered new facts of criminal activity by the owner of a large financial and industrial group, Ihor Kolomoisky. Based on the SBU materials, Kolomoisky was served an additional notice of suspicion under the following articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine
– Part 3 of Art. 27, Part 3 of Art. 28, Part 2 of Art. 200 (illegal actions with documents for transferring payment cards and other means of access to bank accounts, electronic money, equipment for their production)
– Art. 27(3), Art. 191(5) (misappropriation of property by abuse of office committed by an organized group on a particularly large scale);
– Part 3 of Art. 27, Part 3 of Art. 209 (legalization of the proceeds of crime).
According to the investigation, in the period from 2013 to 2014. Kolomoisky illegally seized UAH 5.8 billion. To do this, he created a criminal group consisting of employees of the bank in which he was a founder and shareholder.
During this period, members of this group allowed Kolomoisky to allegedly make systematic fictitious “cash deposits to the bank’s cash desk”, although in fact the bank did not receive any deposits.
According to the investigation, in total, this scheme allowed the defendant to receive UAH 5.8 billion, which was equivalent to more than $700 million at the time.
These fake “contributions” were then credited to Kolomoisky’s personal account and became real non-cash funds.
To legalize the virtual assets, Kolomoisky paid with them in his business activities. In particular, he gave them as loans and used them to pay off loans to companies under his control, withdrew them abroad, cashed them out and withdrew them from bank branches.
The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
A set of measures is being taken to establish all the circumstances of the illegal activity and bring the perpetrators to justice.
The Security Service of Ukraine has served businessman Ihor Kolomoisky with a notice of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code.
“According to the materials of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Bureau of Economic Security, the actual owner of a large financial and industrial group, Ihor Kolomoisky, received a notice of suspicion of committing crimes,” the message posted on the Telegram channel reads.
The Security Service states that Kolomoisky has been notified of suspicion under two articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine: Article 190 (fraud) and Article 209 (legalization (laundering) of property obtained by criminal means).
Law enforcement agencies established that the businessman legalized more than UAH 0.5 billion in 2013-2020 by transferring it abroad, using the infrastructure of controlled banking institutions.
“The company’s credit obligations were created directly to the oligarch, and all subsequent transfers of the company’s debt were made to Kolomoisky’s personal account,” the BES said in a press release.
It is noted that the pre-trial investigation is ongoing under the procedural supervision of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Source: https://t.me/SBUkr/9500
Ukrainian businessman and former owner of PrivatBank Igor Kolomoyskyy is interested in taking away from the mining company Ferrexpo 40% of its main asset – Poltava Mining and Processing Plant (PGOK) in the case initiated by his business partners – Russians Aleksandr Babakov, Evgeny Giner and Mikhail Voyevodin, said Konstantin Zhevago, owner of 49.5% of Ferrexpo.
“These are Russian owners from whom we acquired this stake in 2002. These are Babakov, Giner, Voyevodin. 100% includes Kolomoisky, because he is their partner in Dneprospetsstal and other assets in Ukraine,” Zhevago said in an interview with Forbes Ukraine, answering a question about the customers of the case.
He added that the directors of the British companies that tried to take away the 40% stake in PGOK are directors of many Cypriot companies of both Kolomoysky, Babakov, Voyevodin and Giner.
“It doesn’t happen that in Cyprus, where there are millions of companies, for some reason the same lawyers were executives both in these companies suing me and in the companies that own part of Ukrnafta or other companies related to which Mr. Kolomoysky is involved,” the businessman said.
According to Zhevago, he considers the initiation of this case as a fraud The material states that in 2002 he agreed with the Russians to buy out this stake for $40 million.
“They received a fair price for the shares sold in 2002. Both parties were satisfied with the agreement,” the Ukrainian businessman said, claiming that they then invested $3.2 billion in three mining and processing plants, of which the Poltava Mining had about $1.8 billion.
“I understand that there is a huge temptation to get 40% of the $1.8 billion. At first it was about compensation. They came every two years. I refused to communicate, but they tried to find me through various corrupt politicians, partners or somewhere in London, New York. And all the time this was on the agenda”, – stated Zhevago.
Commenting on the allegations of his alleged involvement in the bribe to the head of the Supreme Court for a decision in this case, the businessman denied them again and stated his willingness to provide investigators with any information on the case.
“I have not received any appeal. I do not understand my status in this case. I am preparing documents to apply for an explanation of my status. I want to cooperate and prove that neither I, nor our lawyers, nor Ferrexpo had or will have anything to do with any illegal actions in this case or any other cases,” he stressed.
Zhevago admitted that it is his voice that sounds on the tapes of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, as he has personally communicated with all five legal companies involved in this case for the last at least a year, including Goretsky & Partners, which has worked for Poltava and Yeristovskiy GOK since 2019.
Speaking about the possibility of reviewing the Supreme Court’s ruling in favor of Ferrexpo in the case concerning the 40% stake in PGOK, the businessman said that in order to do that it should be proved that most of the judges received bribes.
Zhevago also did not rule out “that the state, through the President’s Office, could scout the possibility of at least nationalizing this stake, if the Russians get it.
In general, the businessman said that Ferrexpo does not need to be saved from the “encroachment of the Ukrainian authorities,” as Ferrexpo – a public company, which is listed on the main platform of the London Stock Exchange and has among its shareholders such investors as BlackRock and JP Morgan Asset Management.
“The shareholders, who together with me have invested $3.2 billion in the company, have the right to defend themselves,” said the owner of 49.5% of Ferrexpo.
He specified that the accusations of non-payment of 10 billion hryvnias of rent by Ferrexpo “have smoothly transformed” into 2 billion hryvnias, called them lies and expressed confidence that this case will not stand up in a single court.
According to him, the company today works as much as it can logistically take its products to markets and as much as it can have electricity for production.
“Logistics with closed ports does not allow to work more than 30-40% – consumption in Europe is limited, and delivering it to any foreign port is very expensive and makes the products uncompetitive,” – explained Zhevago.
MP Serhiy Vlasenko (Fatherland faction) published a copy of the decree of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on the termination of Ukrainian citizenship to a number of people, including businessmen Igor Kolomoisky, Gennady Korban, MP Vadim Rabinovich.
In the scan of the decree of July 18, published by Vlasenko on Facebook, there are 10 names.
The process of unbundling the assets of PJSC Ukrnafta between NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and minority shareholders has been put on hold for now, although it was planned to be completed at the end of 2021, businessman Ihor Kolomoisky has said.
“Yes, on a pause… Naftogaz faced the problem of public opinion, government, the like, they need to get permission for some significant transactions, and so on,” he said in an interview with Ukrayinska Pravda.
According to the businessman, Naftogaz was the initiator of the unbundling process, and he supported it.
“Since life together does not work out, it is necessary to separate intelligently and culturally,” he said.
Earlier, at the end of November, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the unbundling of Ukrnafta did not take place, since the state did not yet have the necessary funds to buy the assets.
As reported, in November-December 2021, due to the lack of a quorum, two meetings were not held at which it was planned to consider the issue of unbundling Ukrnafta’s assets between NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy and minority shareholders – Ihor Kolomoisky and his partners. Another meeting of shareholders with a similar agenda is scheduled for February 17, 2022.
Ukrnafta is the largest oil company in the country. NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy owns 50% plus 1 share in Ukrnafta, a group of companies associated with the former shareholders of PrivatBank – about 42% of shares.
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken has announced sanctions against oligarch and former Ukrainian official Ihor Kolomoisky due to his involvement in major corruption.
“This designation is made under Section 7031(c) of the Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs Appropriations Act, 2020. In addition to Ihor Kolomoisky, I am publicly designating the following members of Ihor Kolomoisky’s immediate family: his wife, Iryna Kolomoiska, his daughter, Andzelika Kolomoiska, and his son, Israel Zvi Kolomoisky. This action renders Ihor Kolomoisky and each of these members of his immediate family ineligible for entry into the United States,” Blinken said in a statement released by on the website of the U.S. Department of State on Friday.
Blinken said that in his official status as the head of Dnipropetrovsk region of Ukraine from 2014 to 2015, Kolomoisky was involved in corrupt acts that undermined rule of law and the Ukrainian public’s faith in their government’s democratic institutions and public processes, including using his political influence and official power for his personal benefit.
“While this designation is based on acts during his time in office, I also want to express concern about Kolomoisky’s current and ongoing efforts to undermine Ukraine’s democratic processes and institutions, which pose a serious threat to its future,” the secretary of state said.
“This designation reaffirms the U.S. commitment to supporting political, economic, and justice sector reforms that are key to Ukraine’s Euro-Atlantic path. The United States continues to stand with all Ukrainians whose work drives reforms forward. The Department will continue to use authorities like this to promote accountability for corrupt actors in this region and globally,” Blinken said.
Aforementioned Section 7031 of the Department of state, Foreign Operations and Related Programs Appropriations Act gives the Secretary of State the power to deny entry to the United States of foreign government officials and their immediate family members, in respect of whom there is reliable information that they are involved in significant corruption (including related to the extraction of natural resources) or in gross violation of human rights.
An exception may be entry into the United States if it will contribute to the achievement of important goals of the U.S. law enforcement agencies or occurs within the UN Headquarters Agreement.
