Boholyubov’s trial in Vienna: extradition request could have been leaked for $300 thousand
12 June 19:31
On Thursday, June 13, a hearing on the extradition of Ukrainian businessman Gennadiy Boholyubov, who was put on the international wanted list in July 2024 on suspicion of illegally crossing the state border, is to be held in a Vienna court. However, according to Dzerkalo Tyzhnia’s sources, the chances of extradition to Ukraine remain extremely low, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The reason is the formal approach of the Ukrainian side to the preparation of the extradition request. According to the sources cited by the media, the Office of the Prosecutor General formulated the document in such a way that it actually plays into the hands of Bogolyubov’s defense. It is known that the request contains wording that raises doubts about the seriousness of the Ukrainian side’s intentions to seek the extradition of the businessman. According to media sources, the inclusion of these wording in the text of the document could have cost 300 thousand US dollars.
Bohdan Yakymets, a former influential SAPO figure under the leadership of Nazar Kholodnytskyi, is said to be a mediator in this case. His connection to the defendants in the case, Ihor Kolomoiskyi and Hennadii Boholiubov, has been discussed since 2017, although all three officially deny it.
The lack of precedent also plays in the businessman’s favor: the trial against the head of the border guard group, Volodymyr Makarenko, who is suspected of facilitating Boholyubov’s escape, is being delayed. The Ukrainian justice system has not yet established whether the border guard actually knowingly allowed the businessman to leave the country. In the absence of a verdict in this case, the Austrian court lacks an important argument – direct evidence that the escape was facilitated by government officials.
Despite the formal compliance of Ukraine’s request with international standards, a number of circumstances cast doubt on its effectiveness. Vienna draws attention to the insufficient evidence base, the lack of verdicts in related cases, and the political overtones of the situation.
In this context, the likelihood of Bogolyubov’s actual arrest and extradition seems minimal, although the possibility of such a development has not yet been officially ruled out. The Austrian court will have the final say in the matter, and it will make a decision in the near future.
Read also: Boholyubov’s case considered on appeal: what the court decided
Bohdan Yakymets: who is he and why is he connected to Bogolyubov?
Bohdan Yakymets is a non-public but influential figure in Ukrainian law enforcement circles, closely associated with the former head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Nazar Kholodnytskyi. In the media and among experts, Yakymets is often referred to as the “gray cardinal” of the SAPO, hinting at his informal influence on key decisions during Kholodnytskyi’s tenure.
Yakymets is the godfather of the former head of the SAPO. According to Kholodnytskyi himself, they are united not only by personal relations but also by a long-standing friendship. However, there is no public information about Yakymets’ official positions or powers in law enforcement. His activities, according to sources, took place in the shadows, mostly as an intermediary or coordinator of informal connections.
In 2020, journalists spotted Yakymets’s car near Ihor Kolomoisky’s office in the Millennium Business Center in Kyiv at a time when the Ukrainian government was negotiating with the IMF on a banking law that directly affected Kolomoisky’s interests. The appearance of Yakymets in this context raised suspicions about his possible role in communication between the oligarch’s entourage and law enforcement officials. Kolomoiskyi himself denies that such meetings took place.
In 2018, the Prosecutor General’s Office searched Yakymets’ home in the case of an attempted extortion of $2 million from the former head of the Kharkiv tax service. At the time, it was a case of suspicion of mediation in the transfer of a bribe. Despite the scale of the investigation, it did not result in public accusations or convictions, and Yakymets himself remained outside the focus of law enforcement actions.
Despite his lack of official status, Bohdan Yakymets remains a figure who regularly appears at the intersection of anti-corruption and political processes in Ukraine.
Read also: Ukrainian oligarch Bogolyubov paid millions in taxes to the Russian treasury
What you need to know about Gennadiy Bogolyubov
Gennadiy Borysovych Boholyubov is a Ukrainian businessman and co-founder of the powerful financial and industrial group Privat. Born on January 20, 1962, in Dniprodzerzhynsk (now Kamianske), he graduated as a civil engineer from the Dnipro Civil Engineering Institute. In the 1990s, he co-founded PrivatBank with Ihor Kolomoisky, which became the country’s largest bank before being nationalized in 2016.
His business interests include mining and metals, petrochemicals, the agricultural sector, gas station chains, and international logistics. A particularly significant asset is Consolidated Minerals, one of the world’s largest manganese mining companies, which Bogolyubov owns through offshore structures.
In 2010, he obtained Cypriot citizenship, and later British citizenship. He is known to have lived for a long time in London, in the prestigious Belgrave Square neighborhood. Despite his denials, the media has repeatedly linked him to the use of offshore companies to withdraw billions of dollars in assets from PrivatBank. In 2017, the High Court of London seized his assets worth more than $2.5 billion.
In Ukraine, Boholyubov is involved in several criminal proceedings, in particular on suspicion of complicity in organizing the withdrawal of funds from the bank and treason. In 2024, according to the State Bureau of Investigation, he left Ukraine on a fake passport with the assistance of a border guard. Ukraine is currently seeking his extradition from Austria.
Boholyubov is also known as a philanthropist: he heads the Dnipro Jewish community, co-founded the Menorah Center, and funds projects in Israel.
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