Arrest of Cinevo office: what is known
27 February 2024 15:29
The largest network of laboratories Cinevo has announced the seizure of its headquarters and laboratory in Kyiv. This was reported by Kommersant Ukrainsky 
with reference to the company’s statement on Facebook.
“As a result of the groundless and illegal arrest imposed by the State Bureau of Investigation on the building of the head office and central laboratory of Cinevo in Kyiv, the company will soon be forced to cease operations in this building. This will lead to a complete shutdown of the Cinevo laboratory network in Ukraine,”
– the company said in a statement.
The company notes that “due to the illegal arrest, about 300,000 patients will be left without modern laboratory diagnostics services every month. This includes those who are served by the Cinevo network free of charge, namely
- patients under the NHSU medical guarantee programme,
- soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine,
- patients of the Amosov Institute of Cardiovascular Surgery
- patients of the Superhumans Centre for Prosthetics and Rehabilitation and others.
“As a result of the illegal actions of the State Bureau of Investigation, the budget of the warring country will lose hundreds of millions of hryvnias in taxes and fees (we paid more than UAH 310 million in 2023), more than 2,300 employees will become unemployed, and the investment image of Ukraine will be irreparably damaged,”
– the company added.
What are the grounds for the arrest: what CineVo says
CineVo said that the criminal proceedings in which the SBI seized the building are being conducted on the basis of the alleged illegal withdrawal of real estate from state ownership between 2016 and 2021.
The company notes that the above-mentioned criminal proceedings of the State Bureau of Investigation have nothing to do with the Medicover International Group or the building owned by the group, which was seized. The international Medicover group, represented by its member, the Cyprus-based company Linkmix Holdings Limited, purchased the building back in 2010 from individuals.
What are the grounds for the arrest: what the SBI said
The State Bureau of Investigation stated that the investigation has been ongoing since 2022 and does not interfere with the activities of the medical company.
“Since 2022, SBI employees have been conducting a pre-trial investigation into the possible illegal alienation of the integral property complex of a state-owned enterprise by employees of one of the ministries, the State Property Fund and the state-owned enterprise Ukrainian Research Institute of Oil Refining Industry MASMA,” the statement said,
– the statement said.
According to the Bureau, the investigation examined the legality of re-registering part of the integral property complex to third parties. In 2022, the investigating judge seized the premises at the request of the prosecutor.
The SBI stressed that no investigative actions were taken against the said medical enterprise that would impede its activities, and after the seizure of state property in 2022, no obstacles to the provision of medical services arose and are still not encountered today.
Law enforcement officers remind that this arrest has been repeatedly subject to court appeals, which upheld the investigating judge’s decision.
The criminal proceedings are currently being investigated under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
The Office of the Prosecutor General provides procedural guidance.
What is known about Cinevo?
“Cinevo is a European network of medical laboratories in Ukraine.
Medical laboratory “Synevo Ukraine” is a part of the European network of laboratories Synevo and is a part of the medical holding Medicover. The Synevo laboratory network is represented in Germany, Poland, Romania, Turkey, Ukraine, Georgia, etc. and has 98 laboratories in Europe, 8 of which are in Ukraine: in Kyiv, Lviv, Chernivtsi, Vinnytsia, Odesa, Kharkiv, Kherson and Dnipro.
The first laboratory in Ukraine was opened in 2007 in Kyiv.
What you need to know about Medicover
Medicover is a leading medical holding company in Europe. Medicover was founded in 1995 in Poland as a response to the high demand for high-quality medical services. As it has grown, Medicover has successfully provided services in Poland, Germany, Romania and Ukraine. Today, it is a wide network of outpatient clinics, hospitals and specialised institutions and laboratories, which are divided into two areas: healthcare services and diagnostic services.
Healthcareservices are high-quality care based on an integrated healthcare model. The basis for this is a network of 25 hospitals and 117 clinics and healthcare facilities. The main markets are Poland, India and Romania.
Diagnostic services – a wide range of laboratory tests in all major areas of clinical pathology. It is a network of 98 laboratories, 733 laboratory centres and 26 clinics. The main markets are Germany, Ukraine, Romania and Poland.
