Ukrainian security service SBU suspects wealthy businessman Ihor Kolomoisky of fraud and money laundering amounting to more than 12 million euros. Kolomoisky was considered one of the country’s most powerful oligarchs, but has seen his power base collapse in recent years. A Ukrainian judge decided that he should remain in detention for at least two months

In 2016, President Poroshenko’s government nationalized his bank PrivatBank, which allegedly made unsecured loans to companies owned by Kolomoisky. Due to the lack of capital, the bank will pose a financial risk to the country. Perhaps dissatisfied with this, Kolomoisky supported Zelensky’s election campaign in 2019.

The Americans placed Kolomoisky on the US sanctions list in 2021 on charges of fraud in his banks. Zelensky’s government has also begun to crack down on him: even before the Russian invasion, he was the target of a law aimed at limiting the political influence of oligarchs. After the Russian invasion, Kolomoisky lost his Ukrainian citizenship, because he also held a Cypriot and Israeli passport.

Much of its assets, including the fuel industry, have been nationalized due to the war. Last January, house searches were carried out as part of corruption allegations.

Zelensky referred to the case in veiled terms during his daily evening address, thanking “the authorities for their determination to bring long-standing cases to court.” he He also declared the end of “business as usual” for “those who plundered Ukraine and placed themselves above the law and all rules.”

President Zelensky’s government has been under pressure for years from Western governments and local activists to eliminate corruption. Especially since the beginning of the Russian invasion, Ukraine wanted to show that it takes this matter seriously. After that, some major corruption cases emerged, among others In the Supreme Court in Kyiv And Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

Niels Warlow