Zelenskiy-Kolomoisky ties resurface in last week

The close ties between Ukrainian presidential
front-runner Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Israeli-based Ukrainian oligarch Igor Kolomoisky
resurfaced several times in the last week in investigative news reports and
attacks from the president’s campaign. Most recently, Petro Poroshenko sent an
Apr. 15 tweet warning about the economic consequences of Zelenskiy allowing
Ukraine’s largest commercial bank to return under Kolomoisky’s control. “The
nationalization of Privatbank, with which we – I remind you – rescued the money
of tens of millions of its clients, was conducted in partnership with the IMF,”
the president said. “So a reversal will prompt a deep crisis in IMF relations,
with the corresponding risks for the hryvnia’s exchange rate and a possible new
economic crisis.”

In the subsequent tweet, Poroshenko directly
identified Kolomoisky as being tied to Zelenskiy, stating that the oligarch’s
complaint against the bank’s nationalization “is in the last stage of judicial
review.” A ruling in his favor “will be a powerful strike against IMF
cooperation,” he said, adding that the oligarch’s demand for another USD 2 bln
in compensation for damages “is already on the table.”

Zelenskiy traveled to Geneva 11 times in the last two
years when Kolomoisky was residing there, according to an Apr. 11 Skhemy
investigative broadcast, produced by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty and the First
National television network. In five of these trips, Zelenskiy was accompanied
by Andriy Bogdan, a lawyer for Kolomoisky, who also serves as the legal counsel
to Zelenskiy’s presidential campaign. After Kolomoisky moved his residency to
Israel in summer 2018, Zelenskiy flew to Tel Aviv twice, also accompanied by
Bogdan, the report said. The program broadcast Kolomoisky confirming in a phone
call that Bogdan is his personal lawyer. Bogdan has flown to Tel Aviv at least
nine times since Kolomoisky resettled in Israel, with five of these trips
occurring after Zelenskiy launched his presidential campaign, the report
confirmed.

In his December 2018 trip to Tel Aviv, Zelenskiy was
also accompanied by Ivan Bakanov, the head of the People’s Servant party. In
the same two-year span, Zelenskiy also flew several times on the private planes
of Kolomoisky’s business partners, including Gennady Bogolyubov, Ihor and
Hryhoriy Surkis and Timur Mindich. As his response to the news reports,
Zelenskiy said he has a contract with a security company that employs Bogdan as
its lawyer. “He is one of the partners there,” he said in a YouTube video. “I
don’t know, to be frank, the whole system by its roots: who is the partner, who
is the owner. There are three companies that handle the legal assistance for
our party and our team.”

Zenon Zawada: There can
be no doubt about Zelenskiy’s close ties to Kolomoisky, 
which were apparent to the public before these reports and claims surfaced. It
will be a significant breakthrough in Ukrainian politics if Zelenskiy governs
as president in a way that treats Kolomoisky as a citizen who is equal to all
others under the law. However, the Ukrainian political tradition has been that the
oligarchs sponsoring political campaigns get special treatment, and even
preferences, as a reward for their support.

If the courts rule in Kolomoisky’s favor, whether
with alleged violations of Privatbank’s nationalization or awarding
compensation in damages, Zelenskiy will be accused of favoring his sponsor. The
consistency of his prosecutor general in dealing with all other criminal
matters will determine whether such accusations are justified or not.