The unfreezing of accounts in Lichtenstein belonging to a former judge of Ukraine's High Economic Court took place because of the lack of required cooperation between law-enforcement agencies of both countries, and also because of a Ukrainian court ruling to unfreeze the accounts, the press service of the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO) has said.
The head of the PGO’s special investigations department Serhiy Horbatiuk on Monday during a briefing in Kyiv said Ukrainian prosecutors during the summer of 2015 opened a criminal case according to article 368, note 2 (illegal self-enrichment).
Information had been received the competent authorities in Lichtenstein that they had blocked the accounts of a Ukrainian woman, the spouse of a Ukrainian High Economic Court judge. Horbatiuk said, adding the woman was the beneficiary of a company registered in Panama. However, Horbatiuk said the banking documents were not made available until now. Moreover, a Ukrainian court initially requested the accounts be frozen and informed Lichtenstein.
Horbatiuk said Ukrainian courts had begun issuing orders to unblock frozen accounts since the start of 2016.
He expressed amazement at the motivation for unfreezing the accounts, which Lichtenstein authorities had identified – and the failure of the PGO to provide proof the funds were obtained from unlawful sources. Horbatiuk said that the Ukrainian side informed that Lichtenstein authorities that the Ukrainian judge and his wife could not possibly legally earn 13 million Swiss francs.
“It’s important to receive the documents from Lichtenstein – copies of the documents used to open the account, documents showing money transfers to the account. That would provide additional evidence for us,” Horbatiuk said.
“The situation (the unfreezing of accounts) was caused by a couple of reasons. Firstly, the lack of required cooperation, not responding to requests for assistance from Lichtenstein. Secondly, the unfounded rulings handed down by Ukrainian courts, which helped to unfreeze the accounts,” he said.
Horbatiuk said that the unfreezing of the accounts would not stop the investigation. The PGO will insist on receiving documents from Lichtenstein, he said.
Media reports earlier identified the Ukrainian High Economic judge as Artur Yemelyanov.
