State seizes $206 million in assets from Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash over gas theft scheme.

The Economic Security Bureau of Ukraine announced[1] on Aug.

15 that it had seized Hr 7.6 billion (£208 million) worth of assets from Ukrainian oligarch Dmytro Firtash as three more managers of companies under his Regional Gas Company have been charged with stealing gas from the state. According to the report, charges were pressed against the chairman of the board of AT Kryvorizhgas for causing damages of £5.5 million, the chairman of the board of AT Volyngas over £3.5 million, and the chairman of the board of AT Chernihivgas over £6 million. The Bureau received evidence of the three suspects stealing gas from the state transmission system in a scheme orchestrated by Firtash, the de facto head of the Regional Gas Company that runs the three named companies.

To compensate for the damages, the state confiscated the property of the three suspects worth £6.7 million and Firtash's assets worth £206 million. So far, 15 people, including the Regional Gas Company's owner, have been charged[2] in relation to the case, and heads of six regional gas companies are already in custody. Based on the investigation, the scheme caused the loss of state funds of more than £114 million in 2021.

Firtash, formerly a close associate of pro-Russian ex-President Viktor Yanukovych[3], accumulated[4] much of his wealth by buying Russian gas and selling it in his home country. U.S. prosecutors charged[5] Firtash with racketeering and bribery in 2014 and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail. The Ukrainian tycoon has so far avoided extradition from Austria's capital, where he resides.

Media: Belarus gave wanted Ukrainian oligarch diplomatic post to block extradition to US

Belarus assigned the Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash with a diplomatic post in Vienna to avoid his extradition to the U.S., Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on June 27. U.S. prosecutors charged Firtash with racketeering and bribery in 2014 and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail....

[6] Martin Fornusek

News Editor

Martin Fornusek is a news editor at the Kyiv Independent. He has previously worked as a news content editor at the media company Newsmatics and is a contributor to Euromaidan Press.

He also volunteers as an editor and translator at the Czech-language version of Ukrainer.

Martin studied at Masaryk University in Brno, Czechia, holding a bachelor's degree in security studies and history and a master's degree in conflict and democracy studies.

References

  1. ^ announced (esbu.gov.ua)
  2. ^ charged (kyivindependent.com)
  3. ^ Viktor Yanukovych (kyivindependent.com)
  4. ^ accumulated (www.reuters.com)
  5. ^ charged (www.justice.gov)
  6. ^ Media: Belarus gave wanted Ukrainian oligarch diplomatic post to block extradition to USBelarus assigned the Ukrainian businessman Dmytro Firtash with a diplomatic post in Vienna to avoid his extradition to the U.S., Deutsche Welle (DW) reported on June 27.

    U.S. prosecutors charged Firtash with racketeering and bribery in 2014 and he was briefly arrested in Austria before posting bail.... (kyivindependent.com)

Tags: