Is the Ministry of Justice sabotaging the Yermak-McFaul sanctions group? The Verkhovna Rada calls on law enforcement to deal with the situation

Law enforcement officers are obliged to verify the information about the withdrawal of funds from the Russian Alfa-Bank from under the anti-Russian sanctions of Ukraine with the participation of the executive service of the Ministry of Justice and the judiciary. This was stated by MP Mykhailo Tsymbalyuk in a commentary to UNN.

Here we need to understand the situation for sure. Law enforcement should investigate everything and make a legal determination. And we welcome all the sanctions imposed by our international partners (as a result of the work of the Yermak-McFaul group, among others - ed.) However, in fact, despite all the sanctions pressure, the Russian Federation still has the tools to work. The information that is in the press (about Friedman's assets being removed from sanctions - ed.) should be checked by law enforcement. If it is confirmed, we should give the public a signal that it is confirmed and that criminal proceedings have been initiated. If not, there should be a reasoned refutation, because Russia uses such information to undermine our image in the international arena

Earlier, it was reported that despite President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's sanctions against Alfa-Bank and its owner Mikhail Fridman, the Russian financial institution managed to withdraw about $3 million from Ukraine. The key role in this was played by the Kyiv Commercial Court and the Ministry of Justice, in particular the Executive Service headed by Deputy Minister of Justice Andriy Haichenko. 

In particular, in March 2024, the commercial court ruled to recover about $3 million from Alfa Bank in favor of Credit Initiatives LLC (case 910/161/51/23). On August 7, 2024, the court approved an installment plan until February 28, 2025. The founder of Credit Investments LLC is the Cyprus offshore company Chibeil Limited. As the journalists found out, this company is affiliated with Alfa-Bank and is managed by its management.

Enforcement proceedings were opened in the Obolon Department of the State Enforcement Service of Kyiv (№76148783, 76111629, 76032219, 75875334), which is a violation, since cases involving such amounts of money are the responsibility of the central apparatus. The bailiffs' vertical is headed by Deputy Minister of Justice Andriy Haichenko, who, according to our sources, directed the bailiffs to do just that.

Through this scheme, instead of being recovered in favor of the Ukrainian budget, the funds were transferred to foreign accounts of Alfa Bank and ABH Holdings, which, by the way, was the company where Haichenko worked before taking up his position at the Ministry of Justice and which has now filed a claim against Ukraine for more than $1 billion. It should be added that protecting Ukraine's interests in such disputes is also the competence of the Ministry of Justice, but given the above, there is a conflict of interest there, which the head of the department, Olga Stefanishyna, has not commented on.