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The press secretary of the president of Ukraine, Yulia Mendel, avoided answering the question about the possible extradition of the Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky to the United States. She said this in an interview on the YouTube channel “Batsman”.
When asked about the extradition of the businessman, the representative of the head of state said “we’ll see.” “I am not a fortune teller, it will be as it will be. We defend the interests of the state and all Ukrainians, ”Mendel said, suggesting that we observe how things develop.
The press secretary was also unable to give an unequivocal answer to the question about possible Kiev sanctions against Kolomoisky.
On March 5, Washington announced that it had imposed sanctions on Ukrainian businessman Igor Kolomoisky and banned him from entering the country. The decision is related to the oligarch’s corrupt activities as governor of the Dnipropetrovsk region under President Viktor Yanukovych. Furthermore, the United States fears that Kolomoisky may “undermine democratic processes” even now.
Since August 2020, the US Department of Justice has been conducting legal proceedings regarding the acquisition of real estate by Kolomoisky and his business partner Gennady Bogolyubov in the states of Kentucky and Texas. It is alleged that the entrepreneurs withdrew billions of dollars from the Privatbank from 2008 until its nationalization in 2016, and this money was used to purchase real estate.
Kolomoisky strongly supported Zelenskiy during the presidential campaign and called himself a fan. The oligarch is credited with having had a strong influence over the Ukrainian president himself, to the point that Zelensky is his protégé, but this has never been proven.
