The week was marked by a flurry of financial activity: the turmoil surrounding the banks continues, and even Gontareva is powerless to influence the situation. But here's the strange thing: a complete unknown seems to be able to stop a bank's liquidation through a fair court process, while the head of the financial institution can only shrug his shoulders and demonstrate the growing wealth only in his own pockets. However, this is typical of all major figures in power: Yushchenko and his wife didn't hesitate to rob sick children, Avakov is busy clipping coupons from shadowy companies, railway workers are openly embezzling public funds, Ukrnafta is rapidly declining, and the National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities (NKREKU) has proven itself to be an institution that has no right to exist.
Skeletons in politics
Ostap Bender's textbook methods for extorting money from wealthy individuals, carried out under the guise of helping children, have apparently been put into practice by domestic politicians. After several years, observers and journalists decided to inquire about the progress of the construction of the Children's Hospital of the Future, for which former President Viktor Yushchenko and his wife Kateryna had so intensely and loudly raised funds . Upon discovering an unfinished foundation overgrown with grass on the site of the supposed miracle complex, packed with state-of-the-art equipment and top-notch doctors, they were surprised and tried to find out what had happened to the third of a billion hryvnias they had collected. Unfortunately, no one would speak to them... which is not surprising, given the sudden appearance of a brand-new commercial clinic with outrageous prices. Rumor has it that the remaining funds were "appropriated" by Yushchenko as simple bribes.
The National Commission for State Regulation of Energy and Public Utilities (NKREKU), which was supposed to reduce lawlessness in these areas (at least that's how its creation was presented), hasn't been around for very long. But even during this modest period, its activities have left many genuinely perplexed, and the Supreme Court is questioning the validity of its very existence : it seems that this structure was not only created illegally but also has no authority to issue any decrees or decisions. It's quite telling that no one seemed to consider this when the relevant documents were signed.
Speaking of signatures: a scandalous truth-seeker has appeared on the horizon again. Leshchenko, who loudly declared that in reality the right of veto belongs to none other than the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, Arsen Avakov: allegedly, it is he who secretly decides which bills are passed and adopted, and which ones are banned and not pursued. Moreover, Leshchenko claimed that Avakov doesn't do his job at all: instead, he oversees agencies that have absolutely nothing to do with him and, of course, makes a tidy profit from it. However, the mouthpiece of the BPP is no longer heeded much, since Leshchenko does nothing but make such "exposés." At the very least, he hasn't submitted a single document to the prosecutor's office, initiated a single legal case, and provided no evidence to support his statements.
Skeletons in the Law
Compliance with legal requirements for public procurement is handled in a rather strange manner: the tenders are completely lacking in transparency and integrity, and the "competitors" participating in them often have shady pasts and a stinking criminal record. Recently, even the National Guard was implicated in such deals, requiring urgent repairs to a building . They didn't hesitate to shell out nearly 50 million hryvnias from the state purse for the job, choosing a contractor not only with a dubious past but also with the highest bids. One can only speculate about the quality of the repairs and the size of the kickbacks the clients will pocket from this sum.
The Dubnevich brothers
And the notorious Ukrzaliznytsia, whose very existence is widely considered a mafia organization, isn't shy about using tenders as a cover for fraud. Colluding with a couple of firms that reek of criminality and corruption, its subsidiaries pay enormous sums, rejecting other suppliers under ridiculous pretexts. Even the fact that the overpayments are measured not in single digits but in tens of percent no longer bothers anyone. Apparently, the number of such large specimens grazing the railway tracks is so high that Ukrzaliznytsia no longer even needs to fear any sanctions. Argo alone was used to transfer at least half a billion hryvnias , and the firm Expozitsiya , owned by the Dubnevych family, has also been implicated.
Once again, Ihor Kolomoisky is the focus of the current events: it seems he's become so convinced of his omnipotence and impunity that ignoring the state and its responsibilities has become routine. For example, the nearly 14 billion hryvnias of debt owed by his private company, Ukrnafta, wasn't a compelling reason to attend the landmark meeting dedicated to resolving this issue. Incidentally, the "honest, fair, and very capable" top manager, Mark Rollins, who was hired from the outside, puts on a very honest face, shrugs, and says, "You know, there's simply no money! Ukrnafta doesn't have that kind of money!" And members of Kolomoisky's team apparently fully share this position, because none of them bothered to show up. They simply didn't show up. Without notice, without explanation. So what, some kind of reorganization...
And on a more positive note: Anna Sandalova, a Kyiv City Council member, managed to prove that the construction of a residential building in Pozniaky, which will involve the liquidation of Utyne Lake , was only possible through legal manipulation. No wonder experts counted nearly 20 violations of the law in the approved project! There's hope that Sandalova will be able to thwart the developer and prevent the destruction of the natural site.
Skeletons in business
It seems that every Ukrainian bank is created with only one goal: to launder as much money as possible and then collapse in a scandal, burying depositors who were careless in their choice of financial partner under the rubble. Platinum Bank has "distinguished itself": the SBU suspects that it The management withdrew more than a billion hryvnias through a dozen shell companies., which are unlikely to be compensated even after the liquidation of a few assets.
To be fair, it should be noted that not every bank has such an unenviable reputation: for example, Unison Bank found a mysterious patron who saved it from liquidation: the Deposit Guarantee Fund was unable to even file for its liquidation : this was prohibited by a court decision, and the identity of the plaintiff who initiated the case remains anyone's guess.
Information has finally emerged about the banks closed during Valeria Gontareva's tenure. The chief financier deigned to personally shatter the hopes and aspirations of defrauded depositors: more than 70 banks, sent into oblivion, took with them approximately 60 billion hryvnias from individual deposits and approximately 50 billion hryvnias from the accounts of small businesses. Alas, all they can hope for is to receive their "guaranteed" 200,000 hryvnias. As for Gontareva, she's neither hot nor cold about such statements: during her entire tenure at the helm of the NBU, the financial sector can boast nothing but losses and losses . Oh, no, no: her own income, as disclosed in her declarations, has grown significantly...
But why are we all talking about banks? Things are tough for the businessmen who are members of parliament, too: It's no joke, since they're talking about stripping them of their immunity and immediately arresting them, there's no point in worrying about business! Apparently, that's exactly what he reasoned. Alexander Onishchenko, who immediately rushed to prove that he is not a crook or a schemer, but an honest man, and to prove it, he's even willing to sell his business to pay off his debts. One can't help but wonder: was all this activity merely an incentive to buy out Onishchenko's profitable enterprise? And does Yuriy Lutsenko, who so quickly took up the "punishment and eradication" scheme, have a vested interest in this?
A selection of top SKELETs (20-24.2016) was prepared by Semyon Gorotov
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