Ukrainian oligarch Kolomoisky served with new allegation

"Ukraine's Security Service, the Bureau of Economic Security, and the Office of the Prosecutor General have uncovered new evidence of criminal activity by Ihor Kolomoisky, the owner of a major financial-industrial group," the statement reads. The SSU has informed Kolomoisky of additional accusations under the following articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code:

• Part 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 28, Part 2 of Article 200 (illegal actions with documents for transfers, payment cards, and other means of access to bank accounts, electronic money, and equipment for their production).
• Part 3 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191 (appropriation of another person's property through abuse of official position, committed by an organized group, in particularly large amounts).
• Part 3 of Article 27, Part 3 of Article 209 (money laundering obtained through criminal means).

Details of the case

According to the investigation, during the period from 2013 to 2014, Kolomoisky unlawfully appropriated 5.8 billion hryvnias. Law enforcement authorities have determined that he established a criminal group composed of bank employees, in which he was the founder and shareholder. The bank in question is PrivatBank.

During this period, members of this group allowed Kolomoisky to make systematic fictitious "cash deposits into the bank's cash register," even though the bank did not receive any actual deposits. According to the investigation, this scheme allowed Kolomoisky to obtain 5.8 billion hryvnias, which was equivalent to over 700 million dollars at that time.

Subsequently, these fake deposits were credited to Kolomoisky's personal account and became real non-cash funds. To legitimize these virtual assets, Kolomoisky used them in his entrepreneurial activities.

For instance, he treated them as loans and used them to repay loans of companies under his control, transferred them abroad, converted them into cash, and withdrew them from bank branches.

The pre-trial investigation is ongoing at present.

Previous allegations served to Kolomoisky

It was reported on September 7 that oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky was suspected of misappropriating 9.2 billion hryvnias from PrivatBank. At that time, charges were also brought against five other individuals.

Prior to this, on September 2, Kolomoisky was accused of money laundering through large-scale foreign transfers. He faced charges under two articles of the Ukrainian Criminal Code.

Following a review of the case, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv imposed preventive measures on oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky. He was placed under arrest with the option of bail.