The dismissal of Deputy Minister of Energy and Coal Industry Vadim Ulida became the top news last week.
How could an experienced official have so foolishly exposed himself? Just when the decision had been made that electricity could be imported from Russia in case of emergency, this right was handed over to an unknown, hastily created "Holding Company Energomerezha"!
However, this question fades into the background once it becomes clear who is behind this newly formed enterprise. Dmitry Kryuchkov's name has long been associated with cases involving the embezzlement of budget funds. His trail begins back in 2002, when he pulled off a 40 million hryvnia scam.
The case against Kryuchkov was closed within two weeks, but Nikolai Pesotsky, the former chairman of the State Reserve Committee, lost his job. Kryuchkov himself was released from pretrial detention only last year. He spent a year and a half under investigation for yet another round of fraud. The situation is very similar to Ulida's dismissal. The deputy minister signed decisions that were crucial for him at the instigation of Vladimir Evdokimov, a member of the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities (NKREKP), who is Dmitry Kryuchkov's protector.
Kryuchkov's portfolio includes a wide range of corporate raiding schemes. The recent incident with the Smilsky Vodokanal is a case in point. His takeover became possible after the right person was appointed head of Cherkassyoblenergo. The scheme is as follows: Messrs. Kryuchkov and Evdokimov, using the well-known names of their supposed friends as cover, promote various individuals to the positions of heads of the regional power companies, which are still state-owned.
What happens next is simple: the region's utility companies are seizing control of the debts. Moreover, the officials are using names whose authority not every manager would dare challenge, such as Grigoriy Surkis or Yuriy Prodan. Clearly, such connections are one-sided. After all, Kharkiv Oblast Energy Company will be hard-pressed to escape such "patronage." It seems the Prosecutor General hasn't bothered with such swindlers for now.
It's understandable, since his name isn't implicated in economic crimes. Although, who can be sure that tomorrow Dmitry Kryuchkov won't use Vitaly Yarema as cover to get into the office he wants or seize yet another state-owned enterprise?
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The Kryuchkov brothers (Leonid and Dmitry) also bankrupted Kyivrekonstruktsiya JSC and swindled countless people by starting and then failing to complete the construction of residential buildings, specifically the Tri Bogatyrya residential complex at 182-v Borshahivska Street in Kyiv. They "disbursed" the entire proceeds, but never completed the construction work.
There was also a criminal case under the article "fraud", but for some reason they are silent about it...