“Respublika”, “Ukrnaftoburinnia” and the Khorolskyi Plant: did Vasyl Astion and Vitaliy Khomutynnik really retain control over valuable business assets?
From baby food to the oil business. Around a number of large assets that have appeared in corporate conflicts, criminal proceedings or decisions of state bodies in different years, questions still arise about the possible influence of the People’s Deputy of the IV–VII convocations Vitaliy Khomutynnik and the former deputy of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional Council Vasyl Astion. The authors of the materials in the publications “Spilno” and “Absolution” drew attention to this. These are, in particular, stories surrounding the “Respublika” shopping mall, the Khorolskyi Baby Food Plant and the company “Ukrnaftoburinnia”.
It is important to note that the materials referred to by the authors do not mention the notification of suspicion to Vitaliy Khomutynnik or Vasyl Astion specifically in connection with the described episodes.
The history of the “Respublika” shopping mall
The authors call the story with the rights of claim under the loans of the Nadra Bank related to the “Respublika” shopping mall one of the most resonant examples. According to the data provided in the material of the “Spilno” publication, the rights of claim with a starting value of about 2.56 billion UAH were allegedly sold for 777 million UAH. It is separately noted that the Antimonopoly Committee of Ukraine had previously established anti-competitive concerted actions between the participants in the relevant bidding – the companies “Soltex Capital”, “Fingrup Factor” and “Tolkfin”. Subsequently, the asset, as the authors of the material of the “Spilno” publication note, ended up in the structure of JSC “DILIGENCE”.
Khorolsky Baby Food Plant
Another episode concerns the Khorolsky Baby Food Plant. According to the authors of the article in the media outlet “Spilno”, after corporate conflicts and litigation, the property complex of the enterprise was acquired in 2018 by the “Dniproagro” structure for UAH 25.2 million. The material also notes that Vasyl and Yevhen Astions are among the ultimate beneficial owners of the enterprise in the registers.
“Ukrnaftoburinnia” and the Sakhalin field
The authors separately mention the company “Ukrnaftoburinnia”, which is one of the largest private gas producers in Ukraine. In different years, among the owners of the company’s shares, structures were publicly mentioned that the media (in particular, “Censor”, “Forbes”, “Politerno” and others) associated with Vitaliy Khomutynnik and other businessmen. In 2023, the corporate rights of “Ukrnaftoburinnia” were arrested and transferred to state administration. This was officially reported by the press services of the State Bureau of Investigation and the Prosecutor General’s Office.
What questions do the authors ask
According to the information provided in the materials of the media “Spilno” and Absolution Lab, the applicants in various episodes addressed law enforcement agencies with applications and complaints, and also received a number of decisions of investigating judges. The authors of the materials of the media “Spilno” and the channel “Absolution” pose questions to law enforcement agencies regarding the status of inspections, investigative actions carried out and the results of the relevant criminal proceedings.
In particular, they suggest that the Prosecutor General’s Office, NABU, SBI, SBU, National Police and Bureau of Economic Security publicly explain whether the circumstances of the origin and acquisition of assets mentioned in the relevant materials were checked.
At the same time, the editorial office is preparing requests to JSC “Diligence”, Vasyl Astion and Vitaliy Khomutynnik with a request to comment on the information provided in the material and to inform their position on the mentioned circumstances. After the answers and positions of the parties, the editorial office is ready to publish them.
