Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court seizes assets of Odesa International Airport
On Monday, the High Anti-Corruption Court seized the property of the Odesa International Airport, reported the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office.
"The Investigating Judge of the HACCU imposed an arrest with deprivation of the right to alienate and dispose of property in criminal proceedings regarding the illegal possession of a property complex of a strategic object – ME Odesa International Airport and UAH 2.5 billion ($68.7 million) of income from its activity," the message said.
Namely the seized assets include:
→ the old terminal building and airport property in the amount of 2,488 units,
→ corporate rights of "Odesa Airport Development" LLC, namely 75% of the rights to Odesa International Airport LLC,
→ premises of the new terminal with a total area of 26,700 square meters.
Ukraine's anti-graft court earlier today issued a UAH 12.08 million ($332,069) bail as the preventive measure for the former director of jointly owned Odesa International Airport LLC.
He was assigned a number of procedural duties: to arrive at the first request; not to leave Kyiv without permission; notify about a change of place of residence and place of work; refrain from communicating with other suspects in the case and witnesses.
In 2011, Odesa International Airport LLC was created for the reconstruction of the airport in Odesa, 25% of which belonged to the city. The second participant of the joint venture with a 75% share was the company Odesa Airport Development, which was backed by local businessmen Borys Kaufman and Alex Borukhovich. Since October 2016, this scheme has been investigated by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau.
At the end of August 2023, NABU pressed charges against the former mayor of Odesa Oleksiy Kostusyev, one of his deputies, businessmen Boris Kaufman and Alex Borukhovich, as well as the director of Odesa Airport Development Oleksiy Kochanov.
On September 13, 2023, HACCU arrested Odesa businessman Borukhovich with a bail of UAH 121 million ($3.3 million). On September 7, his business partner Borys Kaufman was given a similar preventive measure with a bail of UAH 268 million ($7.4 million).
On October 12, the NABU declared the ex-mayor of Odesa Kostusyev wanted.
