Volodymyr Demchyshyn who oversaw energy sector under Petro Poroshenko’s government brushed off the accusations he was part of unlawful  schemes that brought  Donbas separatists hefty state contracts in 2014-2015.

In his comments for Interfax-Ukraine, the ex-minister said the case against him was ‘clumsily fabricated’ and ‘ordered’ by the Ukrainian president administration.

Demchyshyn alleged  Ihor Kolomoyskyi can be behind the fabricated case adding  the notorious Ukrainian oligarch has a ‘peculiar sense of humor’ he used to ‘send his birthday wishes’.

The SBU said in a statement  on Friday Demchyshyn was ‘aiding terrorists’ by appointing their representatives to key managerial positions at coal companies in Russia-occupied Donbas and making the state energy operator sign supply contracts with them.

According to investigation, the state contracts worth over 3 billion hryvnas earned separatists over 200 million, which eventually helped them prop up their ‘governments’.

The former energy minister argued there was ‘nothing illegal’ about  the scheme where ‘the Ukrainian state was buying coal from Ukrainian state-run coal mines settling payments in [Ukraine-] controlled territory with taxes going into Ukrainian [state] budget’.

Demchyshyn said the government is trying to shift focus noting that ‘the case will get nowhere’ much like  other similar criminal cases the government has tried to play out for higher ‘ratings’.

 

Allegations against Volodymyr Demchyshyn are obviously part of bigger investigation into Russia-leaning MP Viktor Medvedchuk who last month was brought charges of aiding terrorists in connection to controversial coal supply schemes used by Ukrainian goverment in 2014-2016.