Ukraine makes progress in returning over USD 113 million seized on accounts of Kostiantyn Zhevaho from Switzerland (VIDEO)

The State Bureau of Investigation together with National Agency Of Ukraine For Finding, Tracing And Management Of Assets are working to recover from the Swiss Confederation more than USD 113 million seized on the accounts of companies whose ultimate beneficial owner is the former MP and the shareholder of JSC Bank Finance and Credit Kostiantyn Zhevago.

The funds were seized based on the relevant ruling of the investigating judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv dated 26 October 2022 at the request of the State Bureau of Investigation.

The competent authorities of the Swiss Confederation informed the SBI that the amount of assets available on the frozen accounts exceeds USD 113 million.

Currently, the SBI is taking measures to apply the mechanism of transferring the seized funds to the ARMA with the assistance of the Swiss side.

As part of the criminal investigation, Zhevago was served a notice of suspicion of committing criminal offences under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 5 of Article 191, Part 3 of Article 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and a number of top managers of the bank were also served with notices of suspicion. They organised a mechanism for embezzling USD 113 million from the financial institution, which damaged the interests of the state and the bank's depositors.

Nowadays, the property of the suspected oligarch, as well asrelated legal entities has been seized. In particular, shares in his companies worth hundreds of millions of hryvnias, corporate rights of companies, and 26 real estate objects. Property of other legal entities associated with the former MP was also seized. Among other things, these are 14 property complexes, 21 parts of property complexes, 30 non-residential premises, 10 apartments, a helicopter, and a yacht.

Back in October 2020, the seized assets worth over UAH 300 million were transferred to the ARMA. These assets include corporate rights, funds and 26 real estate objects - health resorts, hotels, residential and commercial premises located in the central parts of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Poltava, Kryvyi Rih, with a total area of over 22,000 m2.

The SBI actively cooperates with the justice, gendarmerie and police authorities of the French Republic. As a result of this cooperation, at the request of the SBI, on 27 December 2022, Kostiantyn Zhevaho was detained in a hotel in Courchevel.

On 30 March 2023, the Investigative Chamber of the Chambéry Court of Appeal issued a court decision dismissing the extradition request of the fugitive MP. The court justified its decision by stating that "the requesting state, which is at war in an uncertain situation, is not in a position to have a court that guarantees fundamental freedoms".

The Prosecutor of the French Republic plans to file an appeal against this decision, while the term of the previously imposed preventive measure in the form of house arrest was extended for Zhevago.

Procedural guidance is provided by the Office of the Prosecutor General.