The public was outraged by yet another example of double standards demonstrated by truth-telling MP Serhiy Leshchenko. Following a high-profile meeting with Russian oligarch Grigorishin (Read more: Konstantin Grigorishin, Distinguished Oligarch of Ukraine and Russia) and subsequent visiting the Sberbank of Russia VIP lounge He purchased an apartment in a luxury new building in the center of the capital. The property, with a total area of approximately 200 square meters, is valued at approximately $310,000. It's unclear exactly how much Leshchenko paid for the newly acquired property, but in any case, it doesn't fit his income: last year's tax declaration listed 212,000 hryvnias of income in Ukraine (including 107,778 hryvnias from teaching, research, and creative work), with another 47,480 hryvnias coming from Columbia University and the Austrian Institute for Human Sciences. He declared 24,000 hryvnias in bank accounts.
According to the new owner, he planned to register the new apartment (jointly) in the name of his mistress, but was unable to do so because Anastasia Topolskaya had not yet divorced her husband. She claims the apartment was purchased for them to live together and start a family. She wrote on her Facebook feed:
“… I actually couldn’t become a co-owner because for the 7 years that Tolik and I haven’t lived together, I didn’t care about the divorce, and now it played a very important role in our process [of buying an apartment].”
Mr. Leshchenko himself stated that Anastasia contributed the missing amount of funds to the total cost of the property.
It literally sounded like this:
"The rest is money from my beloved Anastasia Topolskaya, which will be included in my 2016 tax return. Nastya's earnings allow me to confidently guarantee the debt will be repaid. Nastya is one of the highest-paid DJs in Eastern Europe, performing approximately 200 times a year on four continents."
Of course, Leshchenko found an explanation for the rest of the money: "...half of the amount is a loan from the founder of Ukrainska Pravda (Alena Prytula) for a period of 10 years, the other half of the funds for the purchase of the apartment are my savings as a former co-owner of the media resource Ukrainska Pravda."
He also noted that in 2013-2014 he reported more than $100,000 in income in his declarations.
In conclusion, Sergei Leshchenko did not fail to throw a stone at those interested: "I hope you understand that these attacks are the price I pay for my anti-corruption work, regardless of surnames or positions. Honesty should be rewarded, not punished.".
However, as lawyers note, the former UP journalist's arguments appear, to put it mildly, unconvincing:
An even more curious fact is that Leshchenko already has experience purchasing expensive housing. Moreover, it turns out the MP had this opportunity back during Yanukovych's time. The publication's journalists conducted an investigation into this. Starna.
The reaction of Myroslava, widow of the co-founder of the "Ukrainian Truth" project, Georgiy Gongadze, is also indicative:
Read more: Konstantin Grigorishin, Distinguished Oligarch of Ukraine and Russia
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