Businessman Ihor Kolomoisky and the fifth president of Ukraine, leader of the European Solidarity party, MP Petro Poroshenko meet the criteria under which they are included in the register of oligarchs provided for by the president’s bill on de-oligarchization, Justice Minister Denys Maliuska has said.
“There are official partners of Mr. Kolomoisky in the Verkhovna Rada, and he is not alone, therefore Mr. Kolomoisky definitely could be included [in the register of oligarchs] European Solidarity understands that their leader [Petro Poroshenko] also automatically falls into the register,” Maliuska said on the air of Savik Shuster’s Freedom of Speech program on Ukraina TV channel on Friday.
As reported, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky this week submitted a bill on the prevention of threats to national security associated with the excessive influence of persons with significant economic or political weight in public life (oligarchs) (No. 5599) to the Verkhova Rada.
According to the document, any three of four conditions are sufficient for the National Security and Defense Council to include a person in the register of oligarchs: significant influence on the media, participation in political life, beneficial ownership of a monopoly company and a fortune equaling over 1 million living wages (about $83 million at the current exchange rate).
The fifth president of Ukraine, the leader of the European Solidarity party, Petro Poroshenko, has declared receipt of UAH 152.4 million in dividends from Sequent Schweiz AG (formerly Rothschild Trust Schweiz AG), the corresponding information is published in the unified state register of declarations.
According to it, Poroshenko received dividends in the amount of UAH 152.4 million from the Swiss company on March 31 this year.
In addition, the ex-president declared income of UAH 610,900 in the form of interest from deposits in the International Investment Bank belonging to him, which he declares in a similar amount every month.
As reported, in 2016, Poroshenko appointed Rothschild Trust as a trustee in the blind trust to manage his stake in Roshen Confectionery Corporation.
For 2020, the leader of European Solidarity declared UAH 222 million of income, of which UAH 214 million are dividends, UAH 7 million are interest on deposits in the bank, and UAH 500,000 is a salary in the Verkhovna Rada.
Poroshenko kept $ 3.09 million, EUR 40,000 and UAH 330,000 on accounts in the International Investment Bank, as well as $ 51.2 million and UAH 423.3 million in cash.
Kyiv Court of Appeal overturned the judgment of Pechersky District Court of Kyiv on seizure of 42 paintings of fifth President of Ukraine, Leader of the European Solidarity Party Petro Poroshenko, under the investigation into the alleged illegal movement of art treasures across the state border.
The Register of Judgments states that the decision to cancel the seizure was issued on July 27, 2020.
“The appeal of lawyer Holovan must be redressed. The decision of the investigating judge of Pechersky District Court of Kyiv dated May 27, 2020, who seized property of 42 paintings and one lithograph, which are material evidence in criminal proceedings has to be cancelled and new decision, which to refuse in sustaining the prosecutor’s motion for the seizure of property has to be made,” Kyiv Court of Appeal said in its decision.
As reported, on May 26 The Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) has summoned fifth president of Ukraine and MP Petro Poroshenko for questioning as a witness in two criminal cases (illegal transfer of the collection of paintings across the state border and illegal use of the technical means of obtaining the information).
Member of Parliament Andriy Derkach has released recordings of telephone conversations between persons with voices similar to those of Ukraine’s former President Petro Poroshenko and former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden. Derkach earlier released similar audio snippets, saying he received them from “investigative journalists.”
Derkach said the latest recorded conversation took place on August 19, 2016 and was about the detention of Ukrainian citizens in Crimea, whom Russia’s Federal Security Service labelled “members of Ukrainian sabotage terrorist groups.” Ukraine at the time denied the accusation.
“My team has briefed me in considerable detail regarding the events that took transpired over the weekend, on [August] 6th and 7th[2016],” a voice similar to Biden’s is heard saying to Poroshenko without mentioning what, specifically, the events were.
“…These actions have left the president and me a little concerned. […] As you know, we intervened once before this when we learned that your HUR [the General Staff] was going to take some action. And we made it clear that we did not support that. And you stood down, and the next thing this happens. I will say very frankly – he is not real happy. So the head of your military intelligence chief received a clear signal from us a several weeks ago regarding our strong disapproval of the planned sabotage operation against military targets inside Russian territory. And I know that Crimea is Ukraine, and it is illegally occupied. However, we strongly, strongly believe that raising the cost on Russia can only be done via political and diplomatic means, and not military and sabotage operations,” says the voice resembling Biden’s.
“…We know what it was. Four frogmen were intercepted, all four escaped and the next night friendly fire that had nothing to do with you guys, but [Russian President Vladimir] Putin is trying to make some big deal out of this,” says voice resembling Biden’s.
“…This happened when I was on a visit to the Far East. We are undertaking important steps to make it impossible to repeat this situation in the future. The only reason that we are not dismissing the chief of military intelligence… I would hate to do it immediately, that is, now, because anyone will be able to interpret it as a recognizing responsibility,” replies a voice similar to Poroshenko’s.
“…We are still making efforts to organize a telephone conversation with Putin, but he rejected it. I think he wants to hold a meeting of the [Russian] Security Council in Crimea today. …In any case, he does not make new attempts to blame Ukraine, with new names, new killed [persons] or wounded people, because they have nobody. They have nobody to [blame] for this, this crazy idea, this diversion attack against the airport, I don’t know, against ports or infrastructure. This is simply not true. …We don’t open fire, we don’t use military force,” a voice resembling Poroshenko’s replies.
Derkach said “one of the participants in the events (allegedly discussed by Biden and Poroshenko) is Valeriy Kondratiuk [who in 2016 headed the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ukraine’s Defense Ministry], adding that Kondratiuk was recently appointed to head Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
“The person who had a direct attitude to the planned terrorist attacks and sabotage against citizens of Ukraine, today is a member of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council and heads the Foreign Intelligence Service, reporting directly to Ukraine’s president. The question is to which president?” Derkach said.
The official telephone conversation of Biden and Poroshenko was purportedly made on August 14, 2016. The White House at the time said that “U.S. Vice President Joe Biden has discussed with Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko the latest tensions in Russia-occupied Crimea. The Vice President urged President Poroshenko to do his part in order to avoid the escalation of tension and Washington also called on the Russian side to avoid escalating the conflict,” Derkach said.
According to Derkach, at the time of the alleged telephone call, Biden noted Poroshenko’s efforts to find ways to resolve the situation, emphasizing that the America “is closely monitoring all the events surrounding the Crimean provocation, the responsibility for which lies with Russia in full.”
Russia, meanwhile, said it had liquidated the “agent network” in Crimea and detained a group of Ukrainian and Russian citizens “who had assisted in the preparation of the attacks.” They named a resident of Enerhodar, Zaporizhia region, Yevhen Panov, whom they identified as an employee of Ukraine’s Foreign Intelligence Service.
Ukraine’s Defense Ministry, Foreign Intelligence Service and National Security and Defense Council at the time denied reports of Ukrainian saboteurs. The Defense Ministry said Russia’s allegations that Ukrainian forces had shelled the peninsula from the mainland were groundless.
Former President Petro Poroshenko at the time said that the Russian accusations of Ukrainian terrorism in the occupied Crimea were unfounded and were intended to lay the groundwork for future military threats against the Ukrainian state.
On August 11, 2016, Poroshenko at a meeting with the leadership of law enforcement agencies and the Foreign Ministry ordered that units near the administrative border of the Kherson region and Crimea be brought to enhanced combat readiness.
Prosecutors of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGO) on behalf of the Prosecutor General reported suspicion to MP, the fifth president of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko.
“According to the investigation, the parliamentarian is suspected of the fact that being the president, he impelled the head of the Foreign Intelligence Service (SVR) of Ukraine to exceeded his authority and official powers in 2018, by issuing an obviously criminal order committing actions that clearly go beyond the rights and powers granted to him, committed in a special period (Part 4 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 41, Part 4 of Article 426-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine),” the PGO press service reported.
Rinat Akhmetov with a $2.8 billion fortune is No.1 in the top 100 wealthiest businessmen of Ukraine, the total fortune of whom exceeded $31 billion, and compared with the peak 2013 the fortune of Akhmetov plunged by almost 83%, Forbes has said on its website. According to the ranking of the Forbes Ukraine publication, which was published first since 2016, the owner of Interpipe Group Victor Pinchuk with a $1.4 billion fortune came in at No. 2 and the fifth president of Ukraine, leader of the European Solidarity party Petro Poroshenko ($1.4 billion) is No. 3.
Poroshenko returned to the list of U.S. dollar billionaires after a five year break: in 2014, U.S. Forbes estimated his fortune at $1.3 billion.
Eight people in the list have a fortune no less than $1 billion, including two, who are the co-owners of the Epicenter hypermarket chain – Oleksandr and Halyna Hereha. The list of the U.S. dollar billionaires is locked by former owner of PrivatBank Ihor Kolomoisky.
The top 100 richest businessmen of Ukraine with the minimum net worth needed to be part of the exclusive club of $95 million is locked by the co-owner of the Tavria V supermarket chain Borys Muzalev.
