Former supporter of President Volodymyr Zelensky and active oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky has been charged with fraud. In concrete terms, it would concern the embezzlement of funds from the largest bank in Ukraine worth more than 9.2 billion hryvnia (about 233 million euros).
Without naming Kolomoiskyj, the prosecutor’s office referred in its letter to the “former head of the Dnipro region” and beneficiary of PrivatBank at the time of the crime in 2015. The charges had been sent to court, the prosecutor’s office said. In addition to Kolomoiskyj, five other suspects must therefore answer to the court in the case. Kolomoiskyj was arrested on Sunday on suspicion of fraud and money laundering. According to previous investigations, from January to March 2015, he worked out “a plan to seize money” from PrivatBank, the largest bank in Ukraine.
Co-owner of damaged bank
The billionaire was a co-owner of the banking group before PrivatBank was nationalized in 2016. The Ukrainian central bank had previously accused him of skimming 5.5 billion dollars (about 5.1 billion euros) from PrivatBank before the nationalization.
Kolomoiskyj has had a questionable reputation for years. He is on a US sanctions list and is not allowed to enter the US because he is accused of corruption and anti-democratic efforts. Before Russia’s invasion of the country, the billionaire was one of Ukraine’s richest men, with interests in numerous economic sectors, including the media, aviation and energy sectors.
Selenskyj was a comedian in Kolomoiskyj’s TV-Sender
Zelensky was elected in 2019 with the help of Kolomoisky’s media empire. However, the president has since tried to distance himself from his former ally. At the time, the entrepreneur and billionaire owned the television station in which Zelenskyj performed as a comedian and became known.
Source: Krone
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