NewsKolomoyskyi caught: From oligarch to suspect in murder plot

Kolomoyskyi caught: From oligarch to suspect in murder plot

Ukrainian prosecutors have reported suspicions that oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi organized a contract killing while he is also in custody for large-scale financial wrongdoing.

Ihor Kołomyjski
Ihor Kołomyjski
Images source: © General Prosecutor's Office of Ukraine

11:27 AM EDT, May 8, 2024

While the prosecution has not named names, an anonymized photo linked to the announcement allowed the well-known oligarch to be easily identified.

According to former journalist and ex-deputy Serhiy Leshchenko, the allegation involves Kolomoyskyi ordering the murder of lawyer Serhiy Karpenko, who had resisted complying with the oligarch's directives in a dispute concerning the Dniprospecstal company in Zaporizhzhia, as reported by Interfax-Ukraine agency.

Kolomoyskyi under suspicion

The prosecution alleges that Kolomoyskyi commissioned a gang, known for its involvement in contract killings, to execute the lawyer. The attack left the lawyer severely wounded by a knife, though he survived.

In September 2023, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) informed Kolomoyskyi that he, along with others, is suspected of embezzling over 9.2 billion hryvnias (more than 232 million euros) from PrivatBank, which he once controlled. This sum is roughly equivalent to over 254 million USD.

Previously, a Kyiv court mandated two months of custody for Kolomoyskyi, one of Ukraine's richest businessmen, who remains detained.

Kolomoyskyi, a supporter of current President Volodymyr Zelenskyy during the 2019 Ukrainian presidential elections, saw the president declare post-arrest that Ukraine is set to enforce "different rules," promising no leniency for those who have exploited the country and placed themselves above the law.

© essanews.com
·

Downloading, reproduction, storage, or any other use of content available on this website—regardless of its nature and form of expression (in particular, but not limited to verbal, verbal-musical, musical, audiovisual, audio, textual, graphic, and the data and information contained therein, databases and the data contained therein) and its form (e.g., literary, journalistic, scientific, cartographic, computer programs, visual arts, photographic)—requires prior and explicit consent from Wirtualna Polska Media Spółka Akcyjna, headquartered in Warsaw, the owner of this website, regardless of the method of exploration and the technique used (manual or automated, including the use of machine learning or artificial intelligence programs). The above restriction does not apply solely to facilitate their search by internet search engines and uses within contractual relations or permitted use as specified by applicable law.Detailed information regarding this notice can be found  here.