As Poroshenko's entourage put hundreds of millions of dollars offshore without paying taxes: investigating the 1 + 1 channel

Five years ago, in order for Petro Poroshenko to be elected president, he said: “Start by imprisoning three of your friends.” Now this promise can be fulfilled, since at the high investigative level they are talking about the president’s friends as suspects. Poroshenko’s inner circle helped Sergei Kurchenko, a fugitive from the times of Viktor Yanukovych, launder hundreds of millions of dollars. “There is a direct connection between business partners Poroshenko and Yanukovych,” emphasizes expert Oleg Zhdanov.

Petro Poroshenko. Photo: Depositphotos

Flagrant evidence, hundreds of volumes of the case and a split in the Prosecutor General's Office. A loud scandal that could strike Poroshenko’s reputation, since the surname of Poroshenko himself repeatedly appears in the schemes. The X-Files on the 1 + 1 channel revealed details of a high-profile case for a billion of stolen hryvnias. ForumDaily publishes a transcript of this television investigation.

A loud scandal on the eve of the presidential election shocked Ukraine. Prosecutor of the Prosecutor General's Office Konstantin Kulik signed suspicions against Poroshenko's inner circle in the case of oligarch Sergei Kurchenko. It seems he has brought the president's dream of putting three friends behind bars closer. Not even three, but more. Boris Lozhkin, Grigory Shverk, Alexey, Filatov, Valeria Gontareva - all of them, according to prosecutor Kulik, are related to the schemes of the oligarch Sergei Kurchenko. But don't rush to rejoice. The system immediately came to the defense of the guarantor and his friends, declaring the actions of the prosecutor illegal. Who will win this battle - the independent prosecutor Kulik or the system of friends in power?

The investigation found that over the years, the inner circle took part in the illegal withdrawal of money from Ukraine.

“Valeria Gontareva should receive a serious sentence for the fact that she impoverished the Ukrainian people, virtually destroyed the banking system and, in this situation, was engaged in laundering illegally obtained income,” said Vitaliy Kupriy, People’s Deputy of Ukraine.

Among those suspected of being wrote ForumDaily, ex-head of the National Bank and long-time business partner of the president of Petro Poroshenko Valeriy Gontareva, personal financier of the president Makar Pasenyuk, deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Alexey Filatov.

All of them a few days ago got suspicions.

For the last 5 years, we have all been wondering where Viktor Yanukovych’s money went and why it was not returned to the budget. As it turned out, they were returned only to the Yanukovych “family” clan.

“It is no longer possible to hide. If there are already suspicions, if the prosecutor’s office has already moved forward, this mechanism cannot be turned back,” emphasizes Vitaliy Kupriy, People’s Deputy of Ukraine.

The materials of the investigation into the case of the withdrawal of money by the “family” of Yanukovych include almost a hundred suspects, but the day before it became known that the list of key characters included representatives of Poroshenko’s closest circle.

“Suspicions have been withdrawn against four people who are closest to the current President Petro Poroshenko. Regarding the remaining 94 of the 98 people who were suspected, they remained and, as far as I understand, they are in force,” says Oleg Zhdanov, a military expert.

The fact that the people of the president appear in the status of suspects, was officially confirmed by the deputy head of the department of international legal cooperation of the General Prosecutor of Ukraine Konstantin Kulik. On Bank such accusations are traditionally refuted. The Prosecutor General’s Office said that Kulik advanced such suspicions with procedural violations. The prosecutor himself made it clear that he did everything according to the law and collected all the necessary evidence to raise suspicions.

Konstantin Kulik. Photo: UNIAN

“I am the prosecutor in the Kurchenko case. This case has been investigated for 5 years, and the volume of evidence of the criminal activities of the group is more than 3 thousand volumes,” Kulik said.

Selling "Ukrainian media holding"

A landmark case is the sale of the Ukrainian Media Holding Boris Lozhkin to Kurchenko in the summer of 2013.

“This case is the laundering of budget money, mainly from regional power companies, and the sale of the Ukrainian Media Holding, which was carried out with the help of Poroshenko’s partners. This holding passed into the hands of Kurchenko,” says Oleg Zhdanov, a military expert.

As it turned out, Kurchenko paid with the same billions that were withdrawn - money that was seized and pompously returned to the assets of Ukraine. But that’s not all.

Sergey Kurchenko. Photo: Sergey Bobok / InA "Ukrainian photo"

Boris Lozhkin, as you know, sold the Kurchenko media holding for 440 million dollars. It was this money that became the very “common” of the Yanukovich family. The payment was made through offshore companies, which means it went past the Ukrainian budget.

“When Poroshenko, together with Lozhkin, sold this media holding for hundreds and hundreds of millions, I don’t know that they even paid a penny to the budget,” said People’s Deputy of Ukraine Igor Lutsenko.

Then this sale was called the contract of the year, but they didn’t say that Kurchenko’s money went to Lozhkin’s offshore accounts. Taxes from this sale were not paid at all.

But that's not all. A month before the hands-free sale, the main shareholder, Petro Poroshenko, is quietly coming out of the list of owners of the media holding. As if he knows that Kurchenko will pay with the stolen money and the money will go offshore. As if he knows that if investigators once take up the cause, he will not be in business.

“He needed a person who would be tainted, who would fulfill his every whim and would not ask any questions,” says Vitaliy Kupriy, a Ukrainian MP.

Boris Lozhkin. Photo from Facebook page of Boris Lozhkin

As it turned out, not only Lozhkin appears in the investigation materials, but Poroshenko as one of the shareholders of the media holding. An advance exit from their company does not mean that he cannot be involved in a loud deal. The text refers to the fact that sales agreements began to be conducted from 2012 of the year, that is, this is the first case where Poroshenko appears as a real person involved. Ironically, it was he who insisted on the need for investigation and sentences in the Kurchenko case. So it happened. But fate played a cruel joke with him.

In the case of the sale of a media holding company, Boris Lozhkin and Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Alexey Filatov were suspicious. This is the closest business environment Poroshenko.

“If the people involved in this case are the immediate circle of the current president, then there are probably interested people who would like to influence the results, both positively and negatively. This case will have a negative impact, since these are the closest associates of the current president,” emphasizes Oleg Zhdanov, a military expert.

In the language of the investigation: they are charged with the removal of 440 million dollars from Ukraine. Moreover, a part of them from the Kurchenko orbit was borrowed from the state-owned Ukreximbank.

Kurchenko transfers millions to Lozhkin’s offshore company, and then the fate of this money becomes a mystery.

The role of Alexey Filatov

What place is assigned in this chain to the deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine, Aleksey Filatov? As it turned out, at that time he was a private lawyer who brought the dubious contract under the law.

“They spent a lot of money on lawyers who organized everything in such a way that the Ukrainian budget didn’t even see anything there,” says Ukrainian MP Igor Lutsenko.

The network published documents that confirm that the legal part of the agreement led the current deputy head of the Presidential Administration of Ukraine Alexei Filatov. This can make sure everyone today.

“Gontareva, Lozhkin, Filatov helped legally accompany this deal - but in fact this is a robbery of public funds, tax evasion and other rather dubious transactions,” emphasizes People’s Deputy of Ukraine Igor Lutsenko.

How Lozhkin regained his radio

Previously, 1 + 1 journalists found that Nashe Radio station, which was part of UMH holding, had secretly returned to the sphere of influence of Boris Lozhkin. This is evidenced by the fact that the offshore head of Nashe Radio in Cyprus, a certain Aziza Kumpanova, continued to lead the other offshore firms of Boris Lozhkin. While other assets of the holding were owned by odious Sergey Kurchenko.

“The current President Poroshenko has never worried about the rule of law,” emphasizes Vitaliy Kupriy, a people’s deputy of Ukraine.

Let's see - why?

The materials of the investigation indicate that already after Kurchenko’s flight, the assets of UMH were seized. And it was Boris Lozhkin, already being the head of the presidential administration, who probably helped to remove the arrest from Kurchenko’s assets.

Sources from UNIAN reported that it was for this service that Boris Lozhkin was given control of Nashe Radio.

If it were not for this, then the state-owned Ukreximbank could return the money taken by Kurchenko. And now it is impossible to do.

It is interesting that for narrow circles the facts gathered by the investigation were never a secret.

“Boris Lozhkin sold the Ukrainian Media Holding to Sergei Kurchenko with the transfer of a simply colossal amount of money to offshore companies without paying taxes,” says Vitaliy Kupriy, People’s Deputy of Ukraine.

The facts show that for the last 5 years the president’s circle has never been, and Poroshenko himself could not have been unaware of this, because they themselves are the defendants of the case. And they simply did not have another option how to conceal it.

Moreover, in order to receive indulgence from any investigations, after Poroshenko was elected president, Borys Lozhkin first gets his position.

“Boris Lozhkin, I think, is the key figure in this deal. Since the president is connected with him and was a co-owner during this transaction, it is clear that he appointed him to the post of head of the Presidential Administration in a corrupt manner,” says Vitaliy Kupriy, People’s Deputy of Ukraine

Lozhkina was presented as a successful media manager, but they didn’t say that the agreement on 440 million was conducted through offshore companies. In addition, by becoming a public servant, he will transfer his other assets to offshore companies.

About this instantly learned journalists. And only when requests from international publications fell on the Presidential Administration, Lozhkin quietly left the position.

The role of Valeria Gontareva

And Valeria Gontareva worked ahead of the curve.

“She has her own separate role even in this game. It will be very difficult to get her out of London now, hand over suspicion and bring her to justice,” Oleg Zhdanov, a military expert, is convinced.

She has been living in London for half a year now. Please note, the suspicion was sent to her address in Ukraine, and not in the UK, so formally, she really didn’t receive any suspicions. Experts say: it is a matter of time.

Valery Gontareva. Photo: Depositphotos

It was her company ICU that related to the removal of Yanukovich’s billions. But this was not mentioned either when she was appointed head of the National Bank, or when she was fired. But if the case develops, the scenario of Gontareva’s extradition back is likely, back home.

It is worth noting that in Ukraine it is awaiting not only the Kurchenko case, but also thousands of depositors of liquidated banks who have not been able to withdraw their savings for years and are filing lawsuits against the National Bank, among others. Because the topic - whether the closure of banks was artificial in order to make extra money - remains open. The point has not yet been reached.

As incomprehensible final in the history of the former Minister of Ecology Zlochevsky. After the post of minister, he owned large gas companies that received permits for gas production without any problems. The investigation, like the courts, lasts more than one year. Things opened and closed.

This time, Zlochevsky, as well as others, was suspicious, which means that there is an option that the point will still be set. In a court.

The role of Viktor Medvedchuk

In the sale by Lozhkin of the “Ukrainian Media Holding” to the oligarch Kurchenko close to Yanukovych, there is one more nuance, except that it was sold without paying taxes. Kurchenko bought the holding not for himself, but for the Russian influence on the information space in Ukraine.

The case file contains another ambiguous surname, namely, Putin’s godfather and the only businessman, or politician, who is allowed to fly directly from Kiev to Moscow, Viktor Medvedchuk.

So, in the investigation materials, which were at the disposal of the editorial 1 + 1, it is said that Kurchenko bought a huge media holding from Lozhkina-Poroshenko not without purpose, but for the sake of establishing pro-Russian rhetoric in all these newspapers, radio and websites. And therefore it is assumed that he could be the curator and author of the sales scheme.

“Lozhkin was one of the conductors of the Russian World here. And realizing that he needed to communicate with Russians further, he brought Medvedchuk closer to him and gave him official status,” says People’s Deputy of Ukraine Igor Lutsenko.

Even before the Revolution of Dignity, Medvedchuk and Kurchenko, most likely, agreed with Poroshenko and Lozhkin to rewrite large media assets to pro-Russian forces. In exchange, Poroshenko and Lozhkin will receive 440 million dollars for their offshore accounts. As we remember, this agreement took place.

“Since Petro Poroshenko was an official of Yanukovych, in the Yanukovych government, it is not surprising that such continuity continues,” People’s Deputy of Ukraine Igor Lutsenko is convinced.

And today Medvedchuk feels calm in Ukraine and flies to Moscow on a direct flight. In addition, he is the exclusive supplier of Putin’s oil to Ukraine.

The X-Files sent requests to the GPU and the Presidential Administration with a request to comment on this scandal, but so far have not received a response.

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The case of money laundering Kurchenko and Poroshenko's entourage: copies of the GPU suspicions against the President’s people were published

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