Son of Russian oligarch Churkin detained in Argentina on suspicion of fraud to preserve business assets in Ukraine
Kyiv • UNN
The son of Russian oligarch Igor Churkin has been detained in Argentina for attempting to fraudulently retain control of a business in Ukraine with a loan from a state-owned bank.
In Argentina, law enforcement officers detained the son of a Russian oligarch who deceitfully tried to keep his business in Ukraine, the press service of the State Bureau of Investigation reports, according to UNN.
Based on the evidence collected by the SBI, law enforcement agencies of the Argentine Republic detained the son of Russian businessman Igor Churkin, who tried to keep assets in Ukraine at the expense of a state-owned bank
In 2022, SBI officers served a suspicion notice on Ihor Churkin and his accomplice, who were trying to fraudulently keep the property of an enterprise in Lviv. Lviv Bus Plants LLC took out a substantial loan from a state-owned bank secured by its property. According to the SBI, Churkin spent the money at his own discretion and refused to return the loan to the bank.
In addition, in order not to lose the company's pledged property, the businessman developed a scheme to block the auction of the pledged property by a Ukrainian bank.
"The head of an oligarch-controlled enterprise, controlled by the oligarch's son, filed a deliberately false statement with the police about the alleged commission of a criminal offense by the bank's representatives. He accused the bank's officials of a fictitious particularly serious offense. Such a statement became the basis for registering criminal proceedings and seizing the collateral," the SBI reports.
A Russian citizen was served a notice of suspicion under Article 383 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (knowingly false report to a pre-trial investigation body of a criminal offense, combined with accusing a person of a particularly serious crime).
In turn, the head of the company, who, at the request of the Russian, reported a knowingly false crime, was found guilty by the court and sentenced to 2 years' imprisonment (with a 1-year probationary period).
The issue of extradition of the Russian to Ukraine is currently being resolved.
