“Egg of Lyovochkin”: How a former Region Party member financed Kaskiv’s release

“Egg of Lyovochkin”: How a former Region Party member financed Kaskiv’s release

Former head of State Investment Project Vladyslav Kas’kiv, who on Wednesday 1 of November was returned to Ukraine by SBU officers, was already released from custody in the courtroom a few hours later.

A journalist from the publication INFORMATOR decided to investigate who is behind the sensational release of Kas’kiv.

Extradition and court

1 of November, according to Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, Vladyslav Kas’kiv was extradited to Ukraine and remained in the Main Investigation Department of the General Prosecutor’s Office. Later that day, the Pecherskyi District Court heard the case on choosing a preventive measure for the former official. He is suspected of embezzling state funds in the amount of 7,5 million hryvnias.

Prosecution representatives emphasized the need to choose a pretrial detention measure for two months to complete the investigation.

Meanwhile, the suspect stated that he has five underage children and has already allegedly paid the state all the amount of funds he caused losses for. Kas’kiv confirmed this with a certificate in court.

This was written by Kas’kiv’s press secretary Larisa Sargan on his Facebook.

Meager bail

The court heard both sides and rejected the prosecution’s motion, and ordered the suspect to pay bail in the record-low amount of 160 thousand hryvnias.

To understand how meager this sum is for a official of such rank, for example the former head of the State Fiscal Service Roman Nasirov paid bail in 100 million hryvnias, the former head of the Poltava region’s tax service Volodymyr Zadorozhny – 12 million, and civic activist Vita Zaverukha – 1,6 million hryvnias. The last time a bail of this size had to be paid was by an ordinary customs officer from Vinnytsia region, who was suspected of taking bribes from enterprises for conducting illegal commercial operations.

Kas’kiv himself, according to the media, while in Panama paid bail of 600 thousand dollars (over 16 million hryvnias – ed.).

Kas’kiv and Lyovochkin

So where do Kas’kiv’s documents appear within hours after returning to Ukraine that allegedly show payment of funds stolen from the state? And why is the bail for a former high-ranking official set at such a meager level compared with the losses to the state?

Answers to both questions may lie in actions of the same person – the former Region Party member and former head of the Presidential Administration under Yanukovych, Serhiy Lyovochkin.

Indeed Lyovochkin is associated with the appropriation of state and private funds in the amount of more than 10 million dollars. Vladyslav Kas’kiv was head of the State Investment Project at that time, and his ministry is accused of transferring funds to companies that have ties to Serhiy Lyovochkin and his circle.

In criminal proceedings No. 22013000000000287 from 25.11.2013 regarding officials of the State Agency for Investments and the Management of National Projects and the State Enterprise “State Investment Company,” who were suspected of misappropriation and embezzlement of state funds.

The embezzlement occurred through the State Investment Company, which provided loans to private companies. Specifically, LLC “Trading House ‘Borisfen’” received 95,55 million hryvnias loan for the national project “Quality Water,” LLC “Borzhava Resort” – 165 million for the project “Olympic Hope – 2022.”

Subsequently, in order to embezzle and launder funds, the Borisfen TD transferred 9,77 million dollars to the Cyprus company “Korsk Enterprises LTD” for the acquisition of Ukrainian firms LLC “Aqua Invest Group” and LLC “Sources of Podillia.”

Cypriot company “Korsk Enterprises LTD” transferred the received funds to other companies – “Yonkers Marketing LTD” (Cyprus) and “Barrons Limited” (jurisdiction unknown).

To determine the ultimate beneficiary, investigators sought access to information about bank accounts of companies “Agrama Investments Limited” (Cyprus), “Levidi Ventures Limited” (Cyprus), “Macnamara Holdings S.A.” (Virgin Islands) and “Lerden Industry Inc.” (Virgin Islands), but the same Pecherskyi District Court refused the motion.

Owner of “Levidi Ventures Limited” (Cyprus) is Ivan Fursin. This is visible from the ownership structure of “Misto Bank,” published on the bank’s website.

At the same time, the trust manager of “Levidi Ventures Limited” is Charles Trehern. Earlier he was the head of the supervisory board of the company “Centragas,” which owned 50% in “RosUkrEnergo.”

Offshore companies “Macnamara Holdings S.A.” and “Lerden Industry Inc.” are linked to the same Ivan Fursin, as well as Serhiy Lyovochkin.

However the court denied the motion, since it decided that this criminal case should be investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

In December 2015, changes were made to the Criminal Procedure Code and it was decided that old corruption cases would remain under the Prosecutor General’s Office.”

In total, according to the preliminary investigation, at least 259,2 million hryvnias were siphoned off through schemes with credits from the State Investment Project led by Vladyslav Kas’kiv. In Ukraine, funds were laundered through more than 30 companies that had accounts in Ivan Fursin’s “Misto Bank” – a friend and partner of Serhiy Lyovochkin.

From the above it is clear that Vladyslav Kas’kiv is a long-time partner of the former Region Party member in “cozying up” operations. Therefore, it is him, like no one else, who benefits from the “cleansing” of a public official’s reputation.

On the eve of Kas’kiv’s extradition to Ukraine, Lyovochkin handed over a “ransom” for him to the Presidential Administration. The amount is equivalent to the losses the official is alleged to have caused the state – more than 7 million hryvnias. This was learned by INFORMATOR from its own sources in the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine.

Also a source said that Serhiy Lyovochkin paid for the flight and the information campaign of the “voluntary return of Kas’kiv,” which is designed to “cleanse” the reputation of the former official.

Opinions of anti-corruption activists, political scientists, and deputies

Victor Taran, a member of the board of the NGO “Reanimation Package of Reforms,” also commented on Kas’kiv’s case on his Facebook.

“Courts may today once again hit the bottom: they can set 5 million hryvnias in bail for the Younger Avakov and have already set 160 thousand hryvnias bail for Kas’kiv. Perhaps we do not know something, for example, Lyovochkin paid the difference,” reads the post.

Member of Parliament Ihor Lapin wrote about this.

“Kas’kiv bail is 160 thousand hryvnias. Maybe Lyovochkin paid the difference in losses?” the post says.

Political scientist Leonid Kuleš, in his commentary to INFORMATOR, said:

“The quick return of Kas’kiv to Ukraine under the guise of extradition is tightly connected with Lyovochkin’s involvement in the case. To exonerate and whiten the reputation of the former official is the main task for people who were involved in top corruption during Yanukovych’s presidency”.

That is why we see in the media space a widespread push for the version of a “voluntary return” and almost “innocence.” Meanwhile the court makes convenient decisions. And that is why there is a possibility that all schemes of those officials from that time will go unnoticed,” the political scientist noted.

Thus, we can state that the former head of the Presidential Administration under Yanukovych, Serhiy Lyovochkin, is trying to rally around him trusted people and, for this, is ready to make significant financial investments and knowingly take image risks.

Recall that earlier INFORMATOR reported that the Ministry of Internal Affairs released information about Lyovochkin’s schemes. Also, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau stated that they opened a case against the former head of the Presidential Administration during Yanukovych’s era.

Maxim Limansky, for INFORMATOR