SBI serves Bogolyubov suspicion notice of illegal border crossing
9 July 2024 12:56
State Bureau of Investigation confirms information of Komersant ukrainskyi 
The head of one of the groups of border control inspectors of the Yahodyn Border Guard Service Inspectorate has been detained.
As reported by
Prior to that, several attempts to leave Ukraine were unsuccessful for Bogolyubov.
According to preliminary information from Kommersant Ukrainsky
The investigation, with the assistance of the leadership of the State Border Guard Service, found that the oligarch, accompanied by his close relative, left on 24 June 2024 by the Kyiv-Helm train, although according to Ukraine’s databases, he did not cross the border. In the course of urgent procedural actions, it was established that Gennadiy Boholyubov left the country on an invalid passport of a citizen of Ukraine who is physically in Ukraine and has not left the country.
It was confirmed that the detained law enforcement officer handed over the passengers’ documents to his subordinate and assured him that he had already personally checked the compartment where Bogolyubov and his relative were staying.
At the same time, the oligarch presented Polish border guards with his personal passport of a citizen of Ukraine for travelling abroad.
The oligarch and the law enforcement officer were notified of suspicion of illegal trafficking of persons across the state border (Part 2 of Article 332 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). And Gennadiy Boholyubov was also notified of suspicion of illegal possession of a passport (part 3 of Article 357 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The sanction of the article provides for punishment in the form of imprisonment for up to 7 years.
A custody as a measure of restraint was imposed on the border guard with an alternative to bail in the amount of UAH 25 million.
The Prosecutor General’s Office is in charge of the proceedings.
Bogolyubov’s press service told TSN that he crossed the border legally.
“Gennadiy left the country as a citizen of Ukraine in compliance with all the rules and laws. The rules for crossing the border under martial law allow men over 60 and those with three or more minor children to leave the country. The businessman has all the legal grounds to cross the border: he is 62 years old, has 7 children, 5 of whom are minors,”
– the press service said.
The press service noted the absence of any court restrictions that would prohibit Bogolyubov from crossing the border. At the same time, since the beginning of the full-scale war, the businessman has remained in Ukraine and crossed the border several times legally.
“The border services of Ukraine and Poland had no reason not to let Bogolyubov through this time, as he did not violate the current legislation by leaving Ukraine by the Kyiv-Kholm train,”
– the press service said.
Who is Gennadiy Bogolyubov?
Gennadiy Boholyubov is a well-known Ukrainian businessman and entrepreneur, born on 20 January 1962 in Dniprodzerzhynsk (now Kamianske). He is one of the founders and former co-owners of PrivatBank, Ukraine’s largest commercial bank, and the entire Privat Group. Bogolyubov was also a partner of Ihor Kolomoisky in many business projects.
Bogolyubov graduated from the Dnipro Civil Engineering Institute. His business career began in the 1990s when he and his partners founded PrivatBank. He subsequently became one of the key players in Ukrainian business, with interests in various industries, including banking, metallurgy, oil and gas, and real estate.
Together with Kolomoisky, Boholyubov controlled the Privat Group, which had significant assets in Ukraine and abroad. However, in 2016, PrivatBank was nationalised by the Ukrainian government due to problems with its capitalisation and loan portfolio structure.
As of 2024, Gennadiy Boholyubov is still active in the business, although his influence on the Ukrainian economy has significantly decreased compared to the period before PrivatBank’s nationalisation.
Mr Bogolyubov is known for his charitable activities, including support for the Jewish community.
In March of this year, the media reported that Bogolyubov became the father of a daughter born to Emine Dzhaparova, First Deputy Foreign Minister and Permanent Representative of Ukraine to International Organisations in Vienna. This is Bogolyubov’s sixth child.
