Former Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko may face criminal charges related to receiving funds from Moscow ahead of the 2019 presidential elections.
This is evidenced by new details from an ongoing investigation, during which Vadym Chuchkovskyi, a former deputy head of Poroshenko’s security detail, has already been arrested.
According to lawyer Ilya Novikov, investigators suspect that Chuchkovskyi received ten black suitcases filled with money that arrived in Kyiv on March 28, 2019. The case includes a video allegedly capturing the entire process: the loading of the money in Moscow, the flight, and the subsequent transfer of the suitcases in Kyiv. Sources claim that 200-euro banknotes were transported to finance Poroshenko’s election campaign.
The investigation has obtained documentary evidence of the suitcases’ route, including:
A video recording of the money being loaded onto a plane in Moscow.
Footage of the banknotes being counted on board.
A video of the suitcases being unloaded in Kyiv.
Data confirming the transfer of money to the final beneficiary.
A source claims that the transport organizers filmed the operation as proof, but for unknown reasons, the video was not destroyed and was later seized during a search. According to lawyer Novikov, Chuchkovskyi is being pressured to testify against Poroshenko. Investigators suspect that the money may have been a bribe for transferring a Russian-affiliated asset into private ownership.
U.S. intelligence agencies have joined the investigation, as the aircraft used for transportation belonged to a foreign company and was operated by an international crew.
A possible indictment against Poroshenko could become one of the most high-profile criminal cases in Ukraine’s history. So far, there have been no official statements from the former president or his representatives.
