A Forged Will and the Court: How They Tried to Seize the Academician’s Assets
31 March 21:52
Following the disappearance of Mykola Kolbun during the Russian occupation, law enforcement officials uncovered a group of people who attempted to seize his property, valued at tens of millions of hryvnias.
This was reported by the Office of the Prosecutor General and the National Police of Ukraine, according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
According to the investigation, the suspects attempted to gain access to the scientist’s apartments, houses, and commercial real estate after his disappearance in
Bucha.
Who is Mykola Kolbun
Mykola Kolbun is a Ukrainian scientist in the field of bioengineering and a member of the Ukrainian and European Academies of Sciences.
According to law enforcement officials, his name was included in the ranking of Ukraine’s most influential figures.
In 2022, during the Russian occupation of Bucha, the 77-year-old scientist suddenly disappeared. He had no family.
How the scheme worked
The investigation established that the scientist’s acquaintances took advantage of his disappearance.
According to the National Police of Ukraine, a close acquaintance of the academician—a Russian citizen currently residing in Austria—played a key role in the scheme.
Together with his accomplices, he planned to seize all of the scientist’s assets.
This included:
- apartments in Kyiv;
- private homes;
- commercial real estate.
According to the prosecutor’s office, the property is worth over 18 million hryvnias, while the police estimate the assets at up to 40 million hryvnias.
Fake will
According to the investigation, a woman who helped the scientist with household chores was involved in the scheme.
She acted in concert with her partner and an acquaintance—a native of Chechnya.
According to investigators, the participants:
- entered false information into the Inheritance Registry;
- replaced the genuine will with a forged one;
- drafted a document in the woman’s favor.
The will was drafted separately and signed on behalf of the academician.
Attempt to obtain the inheritance through the courts
After forging the documents, the suspects initiated legal proceedings to have the scientist declared deceased.
This was intended to give them official access to the inheritance.
However, law enforcement uncovered the scheme during the investigation.
What is known about the investigation
As part of the case, investigators:
- interviewed more than 30 witnesses;
- conducted 16 searches in various regions of Ukraine;
- seized documents and equipment.
Two suspects have been notified of the charges against them, and another—a Russian citizen—has been charged in absentia.
They are charged with:
- unauthorized handling of information;
- forgery of documents;
- attempted fraud on an especially large scale.
The court ordered the suspects to be held in custody with the option of bail.
The mystery of the academic’s disappearance
Separately, investigators are examining the circumstances surrounding the scientist’s disappearance.
Near the location where his phone was found, law enforcement discovered human remains.
A DNA analysis has been ordered to determine whether they belong to
Mykola Kolbun.
