The Synevo chain of medical laboratories said on Feb. 27 that it had reached an agreement with the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) over the seizure of its main office and laboratory in Kyiv earlier the same day.
Synevo said earlier on Feb. 27 that the SBI had seized its building as part of a criminal case over the “illegal removal of real estate from state ownership” between 2016 to 2021, unrelated to the company itself.
The company said its building was seized without an official notice, calling on the bureau to resolve the issue “as soon as possible.”
In a statement later the same day, the SBI noted that no “investigative actions” were taken in relation to the “specified medical enterprise” that would interfere with its operations.
In an updated statement, Synevo said it engaged in “fruitful dialogue” with SBI representatives about its building’s seizure.
“They (the SBI) emphasized that any targeted influence on the activities of Synevo, now or in the future, in the course of the criminal proceedings, was not intentional,” Synevo said.
According to Synevo, the SBI denied any intention of blocking the laboratory’s activities and assured the company of its desire for a “quick resolution.”
In a comment to the Kyiv Independent, Synevo’s deputy director general Mykola Skavronskyi said the building’s seizure led to the expiration of the company’s current lease agreement, thereby ceasing the laboratory’s operations.
“The seizure was made quietly – no one was informed about it… why it happened this way and for what purpose, we should ask the SBI,” the representative said.
According to the Skavronskyi, the company discovered by accident that the building had been seized. When it tried to lift the seizure at the Lviv court that had issued it, the company’s request was denied.
“Given the obvious absurdity of the situation, we intend to continue to seek justice, and the only option we have left is to file another lawsuit in the coming days to cancel the seizure of the building, but this time at the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv.”
The representative said the SBI informed the company that it does not intend to keep the building seized.
“We do not know the reasons for the seizure, nor do we know the reasons for the previous refusal to lift the seizure at the Lychakiv Court in Lviv. The court also did not disclose its decision, so only the SBI can clarify the situation.”
“Currently, the common goal of Synevo and the SBI is to resolve the issue quickly and cancel the seizure of the building in court,” Synevo’s statement said on Facebook.
According to the company, around 300,00 people use Synevo services every month, including Ukrainian military personnel and war veterans who are served free of charge.
If Synevo is forced to halt its operations, Ukraine will lose “hundreds of millions of hryvnias in taxes and fees,” the company said.
Kateryna Hodunova
(Updated: )
