The financial situation of Ukrainian businessman and ex-oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky continues to deteriorate while he remains in jail. According to Forbes Ukraine, his financial empire has suffered another devastating blow, losing 22% of its value over the year.
The fall of the empire began in 2022. Back in February 2022, Kolomoisky boasted a fortune of $1.8 billion. However, by November, this amount had decreased by a billion, reaching $850 million. Today, Forbes estimates the oligarch’s wealth at $660 million, a staggering 22% drop over the past year. In total, since February 2022, Kolomoisky has lost almost two-thirds of his wealth.
In Ukraine, Kolomoisky has lost such assets as PrivatBank, Ukrnafta, Ukrtatnafta, and Poltavaoblenergo, among others. But he still owns an impressive portfolio of foreign assets. Among them:
- 500,000 sq m of commercial property in Ohio.
- Steel mills in Kentucky, West Virginia and Michigan.
- A mobile phone manufacturing plant in Illinois.
- Commercial real estate in Texas.
In addition, the oligarch continues to own significant liquid assets. The most impressive of them is the 90-metre superyacht Lauren L, worth $97 million. Interestingly, the price of this luxury yacht is comparable to the valuation of the entire Privat petrol station chain, one of Kolomoisky’s key assets in Ukraine.
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What Kolomoisky is accused of in Ukraine
Ihor Kolomoisky is currently in a Ukrainian pre-trial detention centre. Ukrainian law enforcement officers have served him with three notices of suspicion under several articles and cases.
on 2 September 2023, the SBU notified Kolomoisky of suspicion under two articles: fraud and legalisation (laundering) of the proceeds of crime. According to law enforcement officials, between 2013 and 2020, Kolomoisky legalised more than half a billion hryvnias by transferring them abroad and using the infrastructure of controlled banking institutions.
on 7 September, NABU detectives served another suspicion on Kolomoisky and five members of the group he organised – of misappropriating PrivatBank’s funds worth over UAH 9.2 billion.
on 15 September, the SBU served Kolomoisky with a third suspicion – of illegal actions with bank documents, seizure of property by an organised group through abuse of office, and money laundering. According to the investigation, between 2013 and 2014, Kolomoisky illegally seized UAH 5.8 billion through a criminal group consisting of employees of his PrivatBank.
on 3 September 2023, the court for the first time imposed a pre-trial restraint on Kolomoisky: detention with an alternative to bail in excess of UAH 509 million. However, already on 15 September, after a new suspicion was announced, the court re-selected the measure of restraint and increased Kolomoisky’s bail to UAH 3 billion 891 million.
After that, the court extended Kolomoisky’s detention four times, while reducing his bail twice – on 28 November to UAH 3 billion and on 21 December to UAH 2.7 billion.
on 28 February, Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District Court extended Ihor Kolomoiskyi’s detention for another two months – until 25 April – and reduced his bail to UAH 2.4 billion.
It should be noted that on 8 May, Kolomoisky was served with a notice of suspicion of ordering the murder of a law firm director for personal revenge.
At the same time, back in 2005, a criminal case was already initiated against Kolomoisky in this regard, which was later closed. Back in 2015, former MP and now advisor to the head of the OP Serhiy Leshchenko wrote in his blog why the case was closed and what it had to do with former Prosecutor General Sviatoslav Piskun and oligarch Viktor Pinchuk.