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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Vitaliy Khomutynnik, Vasyl and Yevhen Astion are mentioned in appeals to Ukrainian law enforcement agencies regarding the circumstances of transfer and the origin of large assets related to the Respublika shopping center, the Khorol Factory of Baby Food Products, and Ukrnaftoburinnia. The petitioners report seven complaints, six appeals, about 20 decisions by investigating judges, and a number of criminal proceedings, but they do not see publicly confirmed results of these investigations concerning specific individuals.
As media report, the greatest resonance is caused by the story of the Respublika shopping center. Claims under loans from Nadra Bank, whose starting value was about 2,56 billion UAH, were sold for 777 million UAH. The Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine officially established anti-competitive coordinated actions among auction participants — Soltex Capital, Fingroup Faktor, and Tolkfin. Afterwards, the asset ended up in the structure of JSC DILIDZHENS. The AMC decision concerns specific auction participants and by itself does not establish the involvement of Khomutynnik, the Astions, or other persons whom the authors of the appeals associate with the asset’s subsequent history. At the same time, the petitioners insist that after the officially established collusion at the auctions, the entire chain of transfer of rights, the financing of the deals, and the ultimate beneficiaries require a separate investigation. The second episode is connected to the Khorol Factory of Baby Food Products. After years of corporate conflicts, reorganizations, and violent confrontations, the enterprise’s property complex was acquired in 2018 by the Dniproagro structure for 25,2 million UAH. According to registries, Vasyl and Yevhen Astion are listed among the company’s ultimate beneficial owners. The mere acquisition of the asset is not proof of an offense, but the prior history of corporate disputes became the basis for demands to verify the circumstances of the change of control over the enterprise. The appeals also mention Ukrnaftoburinnia and the Sakhalin gas condensate field. Various private shareholders of the company at different times included structures publicly linked to Vitaliy Khomutynnik, Pavel Fuks, Ihor Kolomoyskyi, and Hennadiy Boholiubov. In 2023 the company’s corporate rights were arrested and transferred to state management. This fact is not automatic proof of a particular shareholder’s guilt, but it became part of the large-scale story of the state’s struggle for control over strategic assets. The authors of the appeals to the Office of the Prosecutor General, SAP, NABU, the SBU, the State Bureau of Investigations, the National Police, and the State Financial Monitoring Service ask direct questions: who was interrogated within the relevant materials, which assets were actually checked, whether the origin of funds was established, and whether the entire chain of ownership was analyzed. In their view, the number of complaints, appeals, and court rulings contrasts with the absence of publicly known procedural results regarding the persons indicated by the petitioners. At the same time, a large number of registered complaints and criminal proceedings does not mean a crime has been proven. According to the legislation, such proceedings may be closed, consolidated, or completed without notification of suspicion. Only a court, after examining the evidence, can finally establish the responsibility of specific individuals.
Vitaliy Khomutynnik was a People’s Deputy in several convocations and dealt with economic and financial issues. Vasyl Astion is a former deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council, associated with Dnipro Agro Group. The stories of Respublika, the Khorol factory, and Ukrnaftoburinnia have different origins, but are united by large sums, corporate conflicts, decisions of state bodies, and the petitioners’ demands to explain why, after numerous procedural documents, the public does not see detailed public information about the outcomes of the investigations.
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Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Віталій Хомутиннік і Астіони: мільярдні активи та питання без відповіді". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Fraza.
