New corruption scandal erupts in Ukraine: from luxury cars and tax fraud to collaboration with Russia | War Ukraine and Russia

David Arakhamia, the leader of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s party, revealed on Telegram that the police operations targeted billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskyi, ex-Interior Minister Arsen Avakov and the Ukrainian tax authorities, among others, while the entire executive of the customs will be kicked out.

Senior Ministry of Defense officials were also visited by investigators. “The country will change during the war. If someone is not ready for change, the people themselves will come and help them change,” the party chairman wrote on Telegram.

According to media reports, the oligarch is involved in the “misappropriation of petroleum products” worth the equivalent of 930 million euros. At Avakov, the recently crashed helicopter with its successor on board would be the reason for the investigation.

Just hours before the police operations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his government is “preparing to implement changes”. The new promises come in the run-up to the important EU-Ukraine summit that will take place in Kiev on Friday. “We are preparing new reforms in Ukraine. Reforms that will change social, legal and political realities in many ways and make them more humane, transparent and effective,” Zelensky said in a video address.

LOOK ALSO. President Zelensky had assured that strict and firm action would be taken against members of the state apparatus guilty of corruption and self-enrichment

Former minister Avakov is said to be investigating the mid-January helicopter crash that killed Ukrainian Interior Minister Denis Monastirski. “They have examined the contracts with Airbus from six years ago,” Monastirski’s predecessor told the online newspaper ‘Ukrainska Pravda’. The helicopter came from manufacturer Airbus. The contracts for the purchase were concluded under Avakov, who led the ministry from 2014 to 2021.

The former minister stated that “nothing” was found during the search. He said the contracts have been approved by parliament and that the helicopters have “saved and will save thousands of lives.” After the helicopter crash, authorities began investigating all possible causes, including pilot error, technical failures and even sabotage.

Arsen Avakov was a highly controversial interior minister who stepped down in 2021 after a long tenure that was plagued by several scandals, some of which involved corruption.

The acting head of the Ukrainian tax service, Oksana Datiy, is also said to be involved. The police would have revealed a plan in which they wanted to overlook $ 1.2 billion in unpaid taxes. The anti-corruption police would also have found hundreds of thousands of euros in cash, luxury watches and cars in her house.

The head of the Kyiv tax authorities “made decisions on whether or not to comply with the tax rules together with other members of the commission without legal grounds,” according to the Ukrainian State Bureau of Investigation (SBI).

Billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskyj has been under investigation since last year. In November, his shares in oil and gas companies were seized because of the war with Russia. On Wednesday, images of the billionaire were apparently seen in his home with an SBU secret service officer standing next to him.

Kolomoyskyi has long been a sponsor of current president Volodymyr Zelensky. He has recently distanced himself more and more from the Israeli-Cypriot businessman and reportedly his Ukrainian nationality was also taken away.

Authorities also announced today that the boss of Motor Sich, one of the largest aircraft engine manufacturers in the world, allegedly collaborated with the Russians. Viacheslav Bohuslaiev is said to have still paid taxes and fees to the pro-Russian separatists in Donetsk after the Russian invasion. In addition, he would also have supported the Russians militarily by selling aircraft parts. In total, it would be an amount of 4 million dollars, reports the news site ‘The Kyiv Independent’.

During the search of his house, agents found dozens of medals and honorary awards that had been awarded to Bohuslaiev by Russian state and political institutions. Bohuslaiev was arrested in October of last year. His company was fully owned by the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense a month later as part of “a temporary takeover of wartime resources”.