You're reading: Fiscal service official: Ukrspyrt distillery head kidnapped from hospital

Director General of state-run Ukrspyrt ethyl alcohol distillery Mykhailo Labutin was kidnapped from hospital by unidentified armed men on Dec. 19. 

“Unidentified armed men in camouflage uniforms have kidnapped Labutin from hospital today, he has been taken to an unknown place. An investigation is now under way,” First Deputy Chief of the State Fiscal Service Volodymyr Khomenko wrote on Facebook.

Criminal proceedings were opened on the fact of the kidnapping of Ukrspyrt’s top manager, he said.

As was reported by the State Fiscal Service, a criminal case was opened against Ukrspyrt’s director general on charges of embezzling the company’s funds and of tax evasion.

Ukrspyrt’s press service earlier reported that Labutin had been taken to a Kyiv-based cardiology and heart surgery center for heart treatment.

A spokesman for Ukrspyrt declined to comment to Interfax-Ukraine on Labutin’s kidnapping.