“An Alpine Refuge for Privat”: NABU’s Wanted Man Mykhailo Kipereman Is Hiding in Switzerland

Mykhailo Kipereman, who once ran the financial schemes for the Privat group, is currently living in Switzerland despite being officially wanted by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.

This was reported by journalist Yuriy Nikolov.

During his active work in the circle of oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, the manager took part in large-scale siphoning of state funds. Kolomoisky himself previously publicly admitted that he paid Leonid Kuchma, through his son-in-law Viktor Pinchuk, 5 million dollars a month for control over Ukrnafta; the total of such payments reached 110 million dollars. These expenses had to be covered by the relevant managers, among whom was Kipereman.

The accumulated wealth allowed him to lead a lavish lifestyle and play a prominent role in the country’s social scene. In particular, in 2006 he married singer Vera Brezhneva, who had previously been linked to another businessman. The marriage later broke up, but one daughter remained with her father and is now with him in Switzerland while Ukrainian law enforcement tries to bring him to justice.

Beyond the oil sector, Kipereman’s activities covered other energy industries as well. The investigation recorded the embezzlement of nearly one billion hryvnias in electricity transactions at Ukrenergo, organized jointly with banker Yuliya Frolova from Bank Alliance.

During the investigative process, the defendants’ defense tried to influence the course of the case. In particular, attorney Nosov from the Miller law firm attempted to negotiate with representatives of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office to transfer the case to another law enforcement agency with the goal of having the proceedings closed. According to the investigation, a bribe of 200 thousand was offered for this.