Deputy of Odesa Regional Council suspected of collaboration

The Peresypskyi Court of Odesa granted a motion filed by SBU investigators against a defendant in a case of conspiracy by the owners of Dom-Agro Agricultural Industrial Company to continue the company's operations in the occupied territories.

In particular, in November, the court imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention on a man who was arranging to register a new company with the same name, but under Russian law.

In October, the court granted investigators access to the company's documents and property, which is currently owned by the mother of Odesa Regional Council deputy Ivan Fursin, Natalia. At the beginning of the Russian invasion, the deputy himself was among the ultimate beneficiaries. The company is registered in Kakhovka, officially owned by the Cyprus offshore company Atofa Ventures Limited - a Cypriot company

According to the case file, in September 2022, the citizen and beneficial owner of the LLC entered into a criminal conspiracy with other persons to re-register Dom-Agro under Russian law. In this way, they established economic activities with illegal authorities in the temporarily occupied territory of Kherson region.

According to a letter from the SBU Office in Odesa region, the MP himself may be involved in the illegal activities, as he actually lives at different addresses and until September 2022 was the beneficial owner of Atofa Ventures Limited, which in turn is the founder of Dom-Agro Agricultural Industrial Company, and then transferred 100 shares of the Cypriot company to his mother to avoid liability. At the same time, he continued to maintain actual control over both companies.

The criminal proceedings were opened under Article 111-1(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (cooperation committed by an organized group) and Article 111-2(1) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (aiding and abetting the aggressor state committed by an organized group).

Кирило Бойко