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Fraud of the budget, crime, and links to the Russian Federation: what is the well-known attorney Bugay known for, who defends sanctioned companies?
The company of the notorious attorney Denys Bugai, involved in the case of the withdrawal of funds from Brockbank, defends the interests of sanctioned companies that operate for Russia?
Did he serve Sergei Ku rchenko, known as the “wallet” of Yanukovych, who became a criminal case and now specializes in defending the interests of sanctioned companies? In the list of clients of the law firm VB partners of Denys Bugai are business structures whose owners and beneficiaries are connected with the aggressor country.
Whom is the Bugai’s firm now defending? What resonant cases is this lawyer known for? Acknowledged journalist from StopKor Olga Levitska.
Kyiv lawyer Denys Bugai specializes in criminal law and procedure. Since 2005 he has been a partner-cofounder of the law association VB partners. From 2013 to 2017, and from 2019 to 2021, Bugai held the position of President of the Association of Lawyers of Ukraine — a legal community. During Poroshenko's presidency, Mr. Bugai was a member of the working group on reforming the bar under the Council on Judicial Reform issues, but the lawyer also has some background in the banking sector.
Banking matters and connection with Ku rchenko.
Yes, Bugai’s career biography includes experience working in the central apparatus of the National Bank of Ukraine.
And the first mention of Mr. Denys as a controversial figure appeared in 2014, the reason being close ties with oligarch fugitive Serhiy Kurchenko, whom they called the “Yanukovych’s wallet.” From 2012, Bugai accompanied the most controversial deals of Kurchenko, such as the acquisition of “white assets”: Ukrainian Media Holding, BrockbIznesbank, and the football club Metalist.
In early August 2013, Bugai became the chairman of the supervisory board of BrockbIznesbank, acquired by structures of Serhiy Kurchenko, which confirms continuous cooperation and partnerships. As head of the supervisory board, Bugai approved key decisions, results of which led to the bank’s liquidation and disappearance of a substantial amount of state funds.
As media wrote, into BrockbIznesbank and another financial organization Real Bank, which was in a pre-infarct state, were poured 2 billion hryvnias generously. They were doomed to disappear without a trace, like in a black hole.
In 2014, the SBU initiated a criminal case against Kurchenko and his associates charged with embezzlement of the state budget. However, the financier of Yanukovych at that time had already fled Ukraine. Therefore, the person responsible to answer before the law remained the head of the supervisory board – the lawyer Bugai.
"VB partners". How did this court process unfold?
In court Bugai completely denied his involvement in the disappearance of the funds, and the Association of Lawyers of Ukraine, of which he was president at that time, helped whitewash his reputation.
Even the Security Service organized a picket to release the innocent lawyer. And after two months Bugai was released from the pre-trial detention center. And the investigation of the case continues.
2022 year marked the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine, and on social networks Denys Bugai began to show an active civic position. However, it should be noted that even after the seizure of Crimea and the occupation of Donbas, the law firm Bugai’s actively cooperated with companies connected with Russia. It can be assumed they continue to maintain business relations. Among these companies are: Quarter Partners, Vioil, Sumy MNPO, Nikolaev Alumina Plant, Svitland Development, Metro cash & carry.
Industrial group Vioil is associated with Russian citizen Ponomarchuk.
One of the lawyers at VB partners is Denys Shkarovsky. He specializes in protecting business from law enforcement claims. Among his clients is the industrial group Vioil, which owns oil-and-fat mills in Vinnytsia and Chernivtsi regions.
Nevertheless, products of the group can be seen in the Russian market. Journalists found evidence — several Russian sites offering to buy Ukrainian oil from this firm.
The founder of the company is Viktor Ponomarchuk. Until the court seized his assets, he did not hide the fact of Russian citizenship.
The fact of Russian citizenship of Ponomarchuk is confirmed by data provided by the analytical service StockWorld.com.ua. Analysts noted that on the site of the National Commission on Securities and Stock Market there were data for the company LLC Vioil-Invest, where the ultimate owner was indicated as a Russian citizen — Viktor Yevgenovich Ponomarchuk.
Another client of VB partners is the company Quotier Partners.
This structure is part of the investment group Ufuture, founder and majority shareholder of which is Vasyl Khmelnytsky. He is co-owner of a third of Ocean Plaza shopping center and is engaged in its management, and two-thirds of Ocean Plaza corporate rights were recently controlled by sanctioned Russian oligarch Arkady Rotenberg.
The law firm Bugai also defends Sumskaya MNPO, which, by decree of the President of Ukraine in 12.05.2023, was included in the sanctions list.
Also a client of Denys Bugai is the owner of the Nikolaev Alumina Plant – Russian oligarch of Ukrainian origin Oleg Deripaska. He owns the industrial conglomerate Russian Machines, which includes the Military-Industrial Company – a major supplier of arms and military equipment for the Russian armed forces.
The aggressor country is also associated with Bugai himself in the media.
Information about his family connection to state traitor Serhiy Hanzha, former SBU major-general, circulated online.
The surname Hanzha became known after the violent events on Maidan: according to investigators, he directly supervised the forceful dispersal. Now he is wanted for serious crimes. However, according to the Center for Investigative Journalism, Serhiy Hanzu was appointed to head the security service in the occupied Zaporizhzhia — some branch of the FSB.
To find out why one of the qualifications of the law firm is protection of sanctioned companies, Stopkor team went to the VB partners office, but journalists were not allowed in. Moreover, all entrances to the office were closed, and even the postman was not let inside.
Later journalists managed to meet the elusive Mr. Bugai. But they could ask only one question — is he the son-in-law of the traitor Hanza or not? The lawyer claims: his wife's maiden name is not Hanza, all this is the invention of pro-Russian activists.
Therefore, StopKor turned to the General Prosecutor's Office.
But the reply resembled more of a formality: “According to point 14 of article 23 of the Law of Ukraine ‘On Advocacy and Legal Practice’, it is forbidden to bring a lawyer to criminal or other liability or threaten liability in connection with his professional activities.”
And the complaint from the Disciplinary Chamber was redirected to the Disciplinary Chamber of Donetsk region for consideration.
Why does Bugai’s case as one of the suspects in illegal withdrawal of funds from BrockbIznesbank in 2014 year still not reach a logical conclusion? And why does a person who in the first days of the full-scale invasion positioned himself as a defender of the capital really defend the interests of sanctioned companies?
For now, these questions remain open, and we will continue to monitor this topic.
skelet.info
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Розкрадання бюджету, кримінал та зв’язки з РФ: чим відомий адвокат Бугай, який захищає підсанкційні компанії?". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: ANTIKOR.
