Odesa Airport Theft: Legal Delays and Corruption Revealed

The lawyers of businessmen Borys Kaufman and Oleksandr Borukhovych tried to delay the case of illegal seizure of Odesa International Airport and its revenues. Therefore, the HACC limited the period of familiarization with the materials.

The High Anti-Corruption Court made the decision at the request of a NABU detective, the Specialized Anti-Corruption and Prosecutor's Office said.

They noted that the deadline was set until February 7, 2025, because, as stated in court, the suspects' defenders abused the right to familiarize themselves with the materials, delaying the case.

The suspects in this case include former Odesa Mayor Oleksiy Kostusev, his deputy, the head of one of the LLCs, and two well-known businessmen from the region. The investigation established that in 2011, this group of individuals developed a criminal scheme under which a strategic object - the property complex of the Odesa airport, worth about UAH 118 million - was withdrawn from communal ownership and transferred to joint management with private investors. This resulted in the loss of control over the airport and the loss of income from its operations.

Over the years, these individuals have been embezzling profits from the airport. Importantly, the airport is a strategic facility of national importance and was not subject to privatization. To complicate the return of the complex to city ownership, its property was pledged to a bank as a loan, which was not repaid.

The total amount of damage caused to the city and the state exceeded UAH 2.5 billion, including the cost of the facility and misappropriated income. It was also established that the former mayor of Odesa received a bribe from businessmen - a penthouse in the city center worth UAH 16 million.

According to the investigation, in 2011, a group of people planned and executed an illegal scheme. The criminals set up an LLC that was formally supposed to become the owner of Odesa International Airport together with the city council. However, in reality, they managed to take full possession of the enterprise and its profits worth UAH 2.5 billion.

The former mayor of Odesa , Oleksiy Kostusev, his deputy Anatoliy Orlovsky, and businessmen Borys Kaufman and Oleksandr Granovsky were suspected.

Ірина Глухова