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Eastern Europe
April 21, 2017 www.intellinews.com I Page 15
Ukrainian anti-graft agency arrests ally of ex-PM Yatsenyuk and senior energy official
bne IntelliNews
Mykola Martynenko, a close associate of Ukraine's former prime minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk and ex-lawmaker of the People's Front parliamentary faction, was detained
on April 20 by anti-corruption operatives on suspicion of possible embezzlement of funds from a state-owned company.
A few hours later, detectives of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) also arrested Serhiy Pereloma, deputy chief of the state oil
and gas company Naftogaz, on charges of creating a criminal organization and using
a government position for personal enrichment.
The arrests mark a string of high-profile criminal investigations of NABU, the country’s main anti- graft body created under pressure by Ukraine’s western backers and donors, specifically, the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Earlier, NABU detained the head of Ukraine’s State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, who alleg- edly provided restructuring of rent payments for gas production companies associated with fugitive Ukrainian lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko. Na- sirov is accused of giving an order that cost the state budget UAH2bn (€70mn). On March 3, the government suspended him from his duties pend- ing the results of the probe.
In July, Ukraine’s parliament sanctioned the criminal prosecution, detention and arrest of Ony- shchenko, a member of the Volia Narodu (Peo- ple's Will) parliamentary group, in connection with
alleged fraud schemes with gas sold together with the Ukrgazvydobuvannia gas company.
On April 20, NABU’s media office said Martynenko is suspected of creation of a criminal organisa- tion, misappropriation, embezzlement of property or seizure of property through abuse of official position. The politician is suspected over the theft of funds of the state-run Eastern Mining and Processing Combine Mining (VostGOK) during the purchase of uranium concentrate.
In a separate statement, the head of the Spe- cialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Nazar Kholodnytsky said Martynenko had embezzled $17.28mn from VostGOK.
According to the pre-trial investigation, officials of VostGOK and Austrian company-mediator Steu- ermann Investitions-und Handelsgesellschaft, as well as a group of people, who “had control over these companies, including Martynenko”, embez- zled funds of VostGOK “through improper conclu- sion and subsequent” execution of the contract for the purchase and sale of uranium concentrate of VostGOK through Steuermann.
The funds were allegedly transferred to the bank accounts of Steuermann via offshore companies Wargrave Trading and Dallas Fuel and used by “the members of the criminal organisation” after- wards, Kholodnytsky added.
Martynenko, who refused any wrongdoing, abdi- cated his parliamentary powers and political im-