Rinat Akhmetov, the billionaire Ukrainian oligarch and former ally of deposed President Viktor Yanukovych, has denied doing business with the ex-president and said that the freezing of assets of some Ukrainians by European countries do no apply to him, according to a statement released by his company System Capital Management (SCM) on March 1.
“SCM Group operates in full compliance with
the law and beyond politics in line with the best corporate governance
practices and international standards of transparent business.
“The decisions of a number of the European
countries to freeze bank accounts that might be related to Viktor Yanukovych do
not cover SCM Group companies and therefore have not affected our operations in
any way. Our businesses located in those countries continue their normal
operations,” Akhmetov’s statement reads.
Austria
has blocked the assets and accounts of several Ukrainian businesspersons and
officials they suspect of egregious
human rights abuses and corruption, and who are believed to be responsible for
the escalation of violence in Kyiv that killed nearly more than 80 protesters, most from Feb. 18-20.
Switzerland this week imposed
sanctions against many of the same Ukrainians as Austria, blocking their assets
and accounts and opening a probe into a large-scale, money-laundering scheme.
Authorities there said they raided businesses connected to Yanukovych, who is
featured on both lists.
Other officials on the lists
include the ousted president’s oldest son, Oleksandr, as well as former Prime
Minister Mykola Azarov, former Interior Minister Vitaliy Zakharchenko and
former General Prosecutor Viktor Pshonka.
“SCM Group remains committed to the common
principles of corporate ethics, business transparency and responsibility to our
partners and the society and, in particular, does not carry out any joint
business activity with Viktor Yanukovich and his family,” Akhmetov said.
Akhmetov, Ukraine’s richest man, has a net worth of $12.1 billion, according to Bloomberg. His SCM company is the country’s largest industrial conglomerate. The Donetsk-based firm had $23.5 billion in revenue in 2012, Bloomberg reported, and has investments in metallurgy, mining and energy. It also controls a 71 percent stake in Metinvest, the country’s largest steel manufacturer, and has interests in commercial real estate, media, financial operations and telecommunications.
The following is the full list of 18 officials against whom Austria has introduced sanctions:
Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine
Oleksandr Yanukovych, oldest son of the former president, owner of MAKO holdings
Mykola Azarov, former prime minister
Andriy Klyuyev, former Yanukovych chief of staff
Vitaly Zaharchenko, former interior minister
Serhiy Arbuzov, former first deputy prime minister
Mykhailo Dobkin, Kharkiv Oblast regional governor
Gennady Kernes, mayor of Kharkiv
Oleksandr Klymenko, former tax and duties minister
Valery Koryak, former head of Kyiv police
Olena Lukash, former justice minister
Oleksandr Popov, former head of Kyiv City State Administration
Viktor Pshonka, former general prosecutor
Stanislav Shulyak, former commander of the interior ministry troops
Vladimir Sivkovych, deputy head of the national security and defense council
Oleksandr Yakymenko, former chief of the Security Services of Ukraine
Yuriy Ivanyushchenko, Party of Regions lawmaker
Edward Stavitskiy, former energy minister
The following is the full list of 20 Ukrainians whose assets and accounts have been blocked by the Swiss government:
Viktor Yanukovych, the former president of Ukraine
Oleksandr Yanukovych, oldest son of former President Yanukovych, owner of MAKO holdings
Serhiy Arbuzov, former first deputy prime minister
Mykola Azarov, former prime minister
Raisa Bogatyreva, former minister of health
Mykhailo Dobkin, regional governor of Kharkiv Oblast
Yuri Ivanyushchenko, Party of Regions lawmaker
Gennady Kernes, mayor of Kharkiv
Alexander Klymenko, former tax and duties minister
Andriy Klyuyev, former Yanukovych chief of staff, brother of Serhiy
Serhiy Klyuyev, Party of Regions lawmaker, brother of Andriy, official owner of some companies on behalf of Yanukovych
Boris Kolesnikov, former deputy prime minister
Yuriy Kolobov, former minister of finances
Vladimir Kozak, former minister of infrastructure
Olena Lukash, former justice minister
Nicholas Prysiazhnyuk, former agriculture minister
Viktor Pshonka, former general prosecutor
Edward Stavitskiy, former energy minister
Oleksandr Yefremov, Party of Regions faction leader
Vitaly Zaharchenko, former interior minister
