Kolomoisky’s suspicion amended, says Ukraine’s Bureau of Economic Security

Ukraine's Bureau of Economic Security reported on Aug. 9 that it changed the previously announced suspicion of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky.

Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's most infamous business tycoons, was arrested on Sept. 2, 2023, for alleged fraud, illegal acquisition of property, and money laundering related to his oil and gas holdings. He is the wealthiest businessman to have landed behind bars in Ukraine's independent history.

Kolomoisky's suspicion was amended to include another accusation of official forgery and specify "mechanisms of committing crimes," according to the bureau's press release.

The accusation concerns illegal actions with bank documents allegedly conducted by Kolomoisky to embezzle Hr 5.3 billion (around $129 million)

In the new text of the suspicion, the prosecutor elaborates that part of the money Kolomoisky allegedly embezzled and transferred to his account, some Hr 2 billion ($48 million), was formed at the expense of loans from PrivatBank, a Ukrainian bank formerly owned by Kolomoisky.

The bureau also said its detectives proved that Kolomoisky had organized the illegal seizure of more than Hr 3.3 billion ($ 80 million) from Ukrnafta, Ukraine's largest oil producer previously affiliated with the oligarch.

"In particular, the bureau established that the suspect organized the seizure of the funds of the joint-stock company by concluding fictitious contracts for works that were not actually performed," added the report.

The Prosecutor General's Office announced on May 8 that Kolomoisky was also suspected of ordering the murder of the head of a law firm more than 20 years ago in Crimea.

Kolomoisky, together with five associates, was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) with embezzling Hr 9.2 billion ($223 million) from PrivatBank, the NABU announced on Sept. 7, 2024.

In 2016, the Ukrainian government nationalized PrivatBank, the country's largest bank - when Kolomoisky co-owned it, the bank's fraudulent activities left a $5.5 billion hole in its ledger.

Oligarch Kolomoisky is behind bars. How did he get there and can he find a way out?

Ihor Kolomoisky’s recent arrest is the latest episode in a prolonged, hard-fought slide from grace for one of Ukraine’s most notorious oligarchs. At his height, he governed a region, controlled huge chunks of multiple industries, made good use of his massive TV network, and a cadre of loyal politic…

The Kyiv IndependentIgor Kossov