Oleksandr Sukhomlyn, a former deputy economy minister, has become the first ally of Ukraine’s ousted ex-President Viktor Yanukovych to be arrested, Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko announced at a press conference in Kyiv on June 11.
Kyiv Holosiyivskyi
district court arrested Sukhomlyn early on June 11, setting bail at Hr 100
million ($4 million) bail. Sukhomlyn is accused of creating a criminal organization
and embezzling state funds.
According to the
prosecution, Sukhomlyn, as head of the state auction committee on selling oil,
gas condensate, liquefied gas and coal from 2010 to 2014, colluded with
Yanukovych, ex-Prime Minister Mykola Azarov and businessman Serhiy Kurchenko.
“Using his post, he,
for the benefit of their criminal organization, illegally seized the property
of the state-owned enterprises that produce liquefied natural gas –
Ukrgazvydobuvannia and Ukrnafta,” Lutsenko said. “(The property was) liquefied
natural gas that they produced, worth more than Hr 2 billion ($ 80 million).”
Lutsenko said that
Sukhomlyn eliminated competition at the special auctions, where gas for
household use was to have been sold.
“He controlled
Kurchenko’s scheme – the special auctions sold not only the gas needed for
households, but all the produced gas. Because of the limited competition,
companies under Kurchenko’s influence bought it and resold it to gas stations,”
Lutsenko said.
He said Sukhomlyn and
his partners earned more than Hr 5.5 billion ($180 million) through the scheme.
Lutsenko added that
investigators are searching apartments and offices of Sukhomlyn’s partners and
relatives in four oblasts. Law enforcement bodies are also looking for evidence
of crimes committed by other allies of Yanukovych who are still in Ukraine, he
said.
Kurchenko is on the
international wanted list on suspicion in committing fraudulent operations with
liquefied gas. He was also declared a suspect in crimes worth Hr 5.6 billion
($224 million) in the banking sector.
His property and other
assets worth a total of over Hr 2.8 billion ($112 million) have been arrested.
More than two years after
the EuroMaidan Revolution none of Yanukovych’s allies, who are suspected of
looting billions of dollars from the country, have been brought to justice, and
almost none of the pilfered money
has been returned.
According to the estimates of Justice Minister Pavlo Petrenko, about $20
billion of the stolen money has been frozen, with $1.5 billion of that being held
in Ukrainian banks.
Kyiv Post staff
writer Alyona Zhuk can be reached at [email protected]
