Court prolongs oligarch Kolomoisky's detention until March
Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky will remain in custody until March 2 with a bail set at Hr 2.65 billion ($71 million), Suspilne reported on Jan. 22, citing the Shevchenkivskyi district court’s decision.
Kolomoisky was charged with fraud and laundering over Hr 500 million ($13.3 million) between 2013 and 2020, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) reported on Sept. 2, 2023.
A few days later, the oligarch and five other associates were accused of embezzling Hr 9.2 billion ($246 million) from PrivatBank, Ukraine's largest bank formerly owned by Kolomoisky.
Under separate charges, Kolomoisky is also suspected of creating a criminal group with PrivatBank's employees and illegally acquiring Hr 5.8 billion ($155 million) between 2013 and 2014.
During the hearing on Jan. 22, Kolomoisky said that he needed a medical examination as his health conditions got worse. His lawyers insisted on allowing Kolomoisky to move from custody to house arrest in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The court refused to release the oligarch on bail, extending his detention as the pre-trial investigation continues.
Kolomoisky controlled Ukrtatnafta, Ukraine's largest refining company, until it was seized by the government in November 2022 as a "critical national resource" during martial law. The company reportedly refused to pay Hr 3.2 billion ($85.5 million) in taxes in 2022.
Kolomoisky also co-owned PrivatBank, nationalized in 2016, leaving a $5.5 billion hole in its balance sheet due to its fraudulent activities.
He faces various lawsuits and charges in the U.K., U.S., Israel, and Ukraine.
