By Stephen Grey and Dan Peleschuk VIENNA/KYIV (Reuters) - In his years as the chief executive of one of Ukraine's biggest construction firms, Oleh ...
By Stephen Grey and Dan Peleschuk VIENNA/KYIV - In his years as the chief executive of one of Ukraine's biggest construction firms, Oleh Maiboroda kept rolls of dollar bills in a safe behindBy Stephen Grey and Dan Peleschuk
Maiboroda said bribes flowed through Tatarov from 2014 to 2019. The lawyer's contacts with police, courts and prosecutors made him a perfect go-between."Of course he was paying" to smooth projects with authorities, including by securing building permits, Maiboroda said."He was giving them money so these arrangements were done," he added.
Billions of dollars of aid earmarked for Zelenskiy's government as well as ambitions to join the European Union ride on Ukraine proving that it is serious about fighting corruption and embracing good governance. "Tatarov has become the symbol of Zelenskiy's tolerance of corruption in his inner circle," the Kyiv Independent newspaper wrote earlier this year, citing the bribery allegation.
Tatarov's government career began several years earlier. He was an official under Viktor Yanukovych, the pro-Russian president who was toppled by a popular uprising in 2014. Tatarov stirred controversy at the time with a remark after security forces fired on protesters. Tatarov claimed some shots emanated from the crowd. More than 100 people died in three days of violence.
Mykytas is in prison, charged with another alleged bribery scheme, involving a subway contract, which he denies. He said in a statement to Reuters none of the state corporation's resources were used by the private company that he indirectly controls. Reuters shared the receipts with Mykytas and Tatarov. Mykytas said they are a forgery. Tatarov didn't respond. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine said experts would need to study the material to verify it.Zelenskiy appointed Tatarov to advise on law enforcement and security agencies in August 2020. Zelenskiy said it would be unfair to cast all officials who worked under Yanukovych as representatives of the old guard.
Two senior law enforcement officials told Reuters that Mykytas confessed to the bribe in an October 2020 video recording in which he said Tatarov arranged the payment. Tatarov has not commented on the matter. In a prison interview with a Ukrainian news website, published on Dec. 22, 2020, Mykytas railed against Tatarov.
A spokesman for the office of the General Prosecutor said in a statement to Reuters that Venediktova's changes to the prosecution team were due to the"exceptional complexity" of the case. The case was subsequently removed from NABU, the spokesman said, on the orders of a Kyiv district court. In March 2020, a month after Yermak became chief of staff, video tapes surfaced in which Yermak's brother, Denys, now a soldier, is heard discussing appointments to government jobs and suggesting he could open doors. Denys confirmed the recording was of him but said he was vetting candidates and ideas for projects he was proposing to the government through a citizens' appeal, and that the tapes had been edited in a politically motivated bid to discredit his brother.
Shefir told Reuters all his business activities were lawful and all necessary tax declarations were filed."Based on the income received and the declarations submitted, I paid all the taxes and other mandatory payments required by the legislation of Ukraine," he said.
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