Alexey Savchenko
The recent winner of the competition for the position of Chairman of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration, Verkhovna Rada deputy from the BPP Oleksiy Savchenko, has an extremely scandalous reputation, reports facenews.
A former employee of the Kyiv "main office" of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, who suddenly built a career as a banker and had ties to the collapsed Avant-Bank, now works within the walls of parliament, being one of the richest people in the pro-presidential faction.
One-man band
The media dubs Savchenko a "one-man band." The MP has managed to run the capital's Organized Crime Control Department, become a banker, a football club owner, president of the Sambo Federation, chairman of the Ukrspirt concern, and even a singer.
Those who know him say that Savchenko's character combines toughness and strong will, on the one hand. On the other, he has the ability to find common ground with people from completely opposite social groups. Savchenko is said to have a fiery temper, likely shaped by his years working for the Organized Crime Department. Legend has it that the banker once threw a chair at one of the deputies of Partner Bank, the bank he founded, who dared to express an inappropriate opinion.
The media has repeatedly written about his involvement in the "dark side of banking" and called him a "specialist in special operations." Among the sins alleged against MP Savchenko are extorting money from entrepreneurs, creating "envelope banks" for the Ministry of Internal Affairs, a number of criminal and corruption schemes to launder millions at Ukrposhta, and the fictitious bankruptcy of Avant-Bank.
Among the friends and associates of Alexei Savchenko, the most frequently mentioned is the former Prosecutor General Vitaly Yarema (Read more about him in the article by Vitaly Yarema. "Honest Cop" and Sergei Dumchev's godfather) and the former head of the State Security Service and former Minister of Defense Valeriy Heletey (Read more about it Valery Geletey. I'm not happy to serve, but I must be subservient.). MP Savchenko is familiar with them from his work in the Kyiv Organized Crime Department.
Banking fraud
In 2003, Alexey Savchenko left the UBOP, and in 2004-2005, he became head of security at Rodovid Bank, simultaneously serving as deputy chairman of the board of directors to Denis Gorbunenko. After the Orange Revolution, Savchenko found himself at the helm of the board of directors of Asia Universal Bank. This was a representative office of a Kyrgyz bank, so the bank was unable to conduct operations in Ukraine. However, it was able to conduct a certain range of international financial transactions through its parent bank.
In 2006, Alexey Savchenko founded his own bank, Partner Bank, which he later sold to Russian billionaire Vladimir Antonov. The financial institution became known as ConversBank, and the former owner became chairman of its supervisory board. Control of ConversBank was later scandalously transferred to a group of businessmen led by Vadim Stolar (Read more about it in the article Vadim Stolar. The notorious "sneaker"). However, Savchenko remained in this business during the sale, and later, “together with his people,” bought another one – “Avant-Bank.”
When Vitaly Yarema became Prosecutor General in the summer of 2014, Avant-Bank began servicing many government agencies, including the Prosecutor General's Office. Specifically, they attempted to transfer the salary accounts of Prosecutor General's Office employees to the financial institution.
In late 2015, Avant Bank began receiving complaints from clients about late payments, leading to the appointment of a National Bank supervisor. He confirmed that the bank's management's actions indicated the beginning of asset stripping. Specifically, this involved mortgages acquired by Avant Bank from Delta Bank shortly before its bankruptcy was declared. Through legal means, the loan claims and mortgages themselves, acquired by Avant Bank from Delta Bank, were transferred to another financial institution, Agrokombank, headed by Yevgeny Berezovsky, First Deputy Chairman of Delta Bank's Board of Directors. Thus, evidence of money laundering and money withdrawal from Avant Bank was readily apparent. However, no one rushed to save the bank, and it soon went bankrupt.
An interesting detail: former Avant-Bank executives were confused in their comments regarding the role of Savchenko, as well as Yarema and Heletey, in the collapse of the financial institution. For example, in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, Avant-Bank Chairman of the Board Veniamin Lebedev stated:
"Alexey Savchenko served as acting director and then chairman of the bank's management board from September 2011 to May 18, 2012. From May 18, 2012, Alexey Yuryevich was no longer involved in the bank's operational management; until January 2014, he served as chairman of the supervisory board."
And Alexey Savchenko said something completely different in his comments to journalists:
"Regarding Avant Bank, I'm simply speechless. I didn't bankrupt Avant Bank! Ask Lebedev, Yarema, or Heletey. We tried our best to save Avant Bank, but we couldn't survive under the conditions created by the NBU. Blame Gontareva, blame Oleksandr Dubinsky, who had a soft spot for Avant Bank, but not us—not the bank's former owners. After all, we held on until the very end!"
Features of the route
Oleksiy Savchenko is known as Kyiv's "Chernihiv fixer," allegedly due to his close ties to the region's criminal underworld. In the football field, Oleksiy Savchenko became close friends with vodka magnate Pavlo Klimets, who bought 50% of the Desna club from him in 2008. It was Klimets who, in 2010, after Yanukovych's rise to power, lobbied for Savchenko to become the head of the state-owned Ukrspirt concern. It is said that Oleksiy Savchenko was also assisted by his senior partner at Rodovid Bank, Yuriy Ivanyushchenko.
However, Alexey Savchenko did not last long in the lucrative position, and, according to rumors, he was forced to leave due to his complete professional incompetence in this matter.
Alexey Savchenko also made his mark in show business. Beginning in 2008, he filmed several music videos and recorded three chanson albums. He even won the International Arts Festival "Slavianski Bazaar" in Vitebsk.
As for the MP's athletic achievements, he is a candidate master of sports in boxing and kickboxing, a medalist at the Open European Mixed Martial Arts Championship, and the president of the All-Ukrainian public organization, the National Sambo Federation of Ukraine. He likes to reflect on his love of sports on social media, where he posts photos of his bare, tattoo-covered torso.
Where do Savchenko's paths lead?
Recently, the selection committee of the senior civil service corps selected Savchenko for the position of head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. President Petro Poroshenko initiated an open competition for the vacant position back in August. A backup candidate was also selected in case the main contender (Artem Vashchilenko) declined.
Initially, Oleksiy Savchenko expressed a desire to become governor. After all, he had previously been wooed for leadership positions in both the Chernihiv and Zhytomyr regions. But suddenly, the former banker and current MP made several statements declaring his reluctance to become head of the Mykolaiv Regional State Administration. He claimed, "I really don't understand anything about this" and "please stop speculating on this matter."
Such answers sound more like disingenuousness, while the real reason is apparently Savchenko's fear of ending up in a position where his every action will be scrutinized. And corrupt connections or scams, as was the case before, will not work.
"I don't want to repeat the fate of my good friend Max Melnychuk" (the notorious, dismissed former governor of the Kyiv region), Oleksiy Savchenko recently admitted to the First Truth&Transparency Committee.
But judging by his reputation, maybe...
ON THIS TOPIC:
Vitaly Yarema, "Honest Cop" and Sergei Dumchev's godfather
Valery Geletey. I'm not happy to serve, but I must be subservient.
Vadim Stolar. The notorious "sneaker"
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