The investigator Tkach began praising Oleksii Khomenko — but here’s what is known about the new candidate for prosecutor general

Journalist for Ukrainska Pravda Mykhailo Tkach publicly praised First Deputy Prosecutor General Oleksii Khomenko, one of the possible candidates for the head of the Office of the Prosecutor General. At the same time, investigative journalist known as Volodymyr Bondarenko drew attention to a possible connection between Khomenko and the fugitive pro-Russian deputy Andrii Derkach, who is now a deputy in the Russian parliament.

Tkach praised Khomenko, noting that while Khomenko served as acting prosecutor general after the dismissal of Andrii Kostin, there were no complaints about him. Khomenko has held the post of First Deputy Prosecutor General since 26 January 2023 and has already had experience temporarily leading the Office of the Prosecutor General.

"Good reviews, actually — that doesn’t happen often — from various political figures and law enforcement agencies regarding the fact that he did not leak information, he worked, he got involved, he signed. In other words, the prosecutor’s office worked," Mykhailo Tkach said.

Bondarenko, however, cites data from open registries that, in his view, may indicate a connection between Khomenko and Derkach through the prosecutor’s wife.

"Khomenko’s wife is Yana Mykolaivna Nazarchuk (1983 year of birth), who was an assistant-consultant to a People’s Deputy named Ihor Yevheniiovych Skosar (1968). This Ihor Skosar ran the company LLC 'Valentyn Plus,' which is owned by Oksana Volodymyrivna Terekhova (1973 year of birth, Kyiv). Terekhova is the wife of traitor Andrii Derkach, now a representative of Astrakhan in the Federation Council of the Russian Federation. They officially divorced to transfer business and property to her," Bondarenko wrote.

Bondarenko added that the company 'Valentyn Plus' is a retail-entertainment center in the form of a parking lot near the station on Tolstoho, which has still not been confiscated. According to him, Derkach’s house near the Klovska metro station was also not confiscated; he is freely selling it for 10 million dollars on OLX, as well as offices on Kontraktova Square, a private house in Tsarske Selo, and 42 hectares in Koncha-Zaspa.

From our side: the link that Bondarenko traced from Khomenko’s wife to Derkach is not very convincing. However, it still raises doubts.

Why the question of a new prosecutor general has become relevant

Ruslan Kravchenko submitted a resignation application as prosecutor general on 7 September, calling the decision political and deliberate. The scandal erupted around the NABU and SAP special operation 'Carthage,' within which journalists discovered possible use by the prosecutor general of a house in Kozyn registered to another person. Against the backdrop of this scandal, the question arose of who will head the Office of the Prosecutor General, and Khomenko is named among the main contenders due to his experience leading the agency temporarily.

The Law 'On the Prosecutor’s Office' provides that in the absence of a prosecutor general his powers are exercised by the first deputy, so Khomenko may temporarily assume the duties until a new head is appointed. That is why the question of the candidate’s possible ties is especially sensitive in the current political situation.

Previously, Informator reported that in his resignation statement Prosecutor General Kravchenko made a serious blunder: lawyers explained that the prosecutor general cannot write a statement 'about resignation' but only 'about dismissal,' and it is the Verkhovna Rada that makes the decision on no confidence in the head of the prosecutor’s office.