Former People’s Deputy Viktor Medvedchuk and four of his accomplices were informed of the suspicion of taking over the Samara – Western direction oil pipeline, the criminal scheme was organized in coordination with the political leadership of the Russian Federation, the Prosecutor General’s Office informs.
“The Kharkiv Regional Prosecutor’s Office notified the People’s Deputy of Ukraine of the II-IV, IX convocations and four of his accomplices of suspicion of organizing a series of crimes aimed at seizing a state strategic facility – the Samara – Western Direction oil pipeline,” the agency said in a telegram. -channels on Wednesday.
According to the investigation carried out by the Security Service of Ukraine and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the former Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs organized the illegal scheme in early 2015 “in clear coordination with the political leadership of the Russian Federation.”
The Prosecutor General’s Office reminds that after the collapse of the USSR, the “Samara – Western Direction” oil pipeline remained in the possession of Russia. Since 2005, Ukraine has been proving its right to own it through the courts. In 2014-2015, this right was confirmed by the higher courts.
“However, in April 2015, the court in Rivne returned the pipe to the subsidiary company of the Russian Federation – LLC “Prykarpatzakhidtrans” due to alleged “new circumstances” in one sitting, thus effectively canceling the completed nationalization of the strategic oil pipeline,” the message reads.
According to the prosecutor’s office, during the investigation, it was established that the ex-Nardep and his accomplices involved an expert in the scheme of taking over the oil pipeline. “His notoriously false conclusion was used in court to review and cancel court decisions rendered in favor of the state,” the department clarifies.
The message emphasizes that in order to legalize the appropriated object by carrying out a series of operations, it was sold to a controlled economic entity registered in Switzerland, which became the formal owner, and management was carried out through PrykarpatZahidtrans LLC.
“Having established control over the stolen asset, two of the accomplices were appointed to management positions at this enterprise and carried out the necessary procedures, two more dealt with other issues, primarily the legalization of income,” the report says.
The suspects transferred the received profits to the accounts of affiliated foreign companies and distributed them among themselves.
Currently, in Kyiv and the Kyiv region, law enforcement officers have conducted a number of authorized searches of the last places of residence and registration of the suspects and handed over the suspicions to their relatives in the manner prescribed by law.
“All those involved will be declared wanted,” the department informs.
On February 1, 2024, the Supreme Court finally recognized the state’s ownership of the Ukrainian part of the main oil pipeline “Samara – Western direction”.
