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‘No surprise’, Ukraine’ chief prosecutor responds to story on Zelensky company’s offshore money transfers
Ukraine’s chief prosecutor Iryna Venediktova puts in question ‘credibility’ of Slidstvo.Info report on Ihor Kolomoysky’s secret payments to Zelensky-owned Kvartal 95
Monday, 4 October 2021, 11:25

In a rambling statement on social media Monday, Iryna Venediktova addressed Slidstvo.Info report on secret payments of some $ 41 million that came to Zelensky’s  Kvartal 95 from the Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoyski.

‘Information that has to do with ‘PrivatBank’ activities .. has been investigated earlier by our colleagues at anti-corruption bureau and is currently  under the microscope’,  argued Venediktova, adding the revelations came as  ‘no surprise’ for law-enforcement agencies.

The chief prosecutor  said  ‘there is a question mark’ about ‘credibility’ of Slidstvo.Info report.

Venediktova added she was upset ‘both professionally and personally’ over claims in media  the prosecutors’ office is stalling investigation on PrivatBank-related case.  She called it ‘outright speculation’ stressing she ‘assumed personal responsibility’ to get the case off the ground.

Encouraging  law-enforcement agencies to press on with such investigations is not easy as oligarchs have ‘power, endless opportunities, money resources and media’, stressed Venediktova.

The chief prosecutor failed to provide any details on the ongoing investigation saying ‘at this stage it is classified information’.

The story made headlines last week after  the media report found notorious Ukrainian billionare  Ihor Kolomoyskiy used offshore money  transfer schemes to pay  about $41 million to Zelensky-owned ‘Kvartal 95’ production studio.

Tags: Pandora Papers, scandal, Ukraine's chief prosecutor