The wealthy businessman and former Ukrainian MP Kostiantin Jevago, arrested on December 28 in Courchevel (Savoie) as part of an extradition request for "
financial offences
", said Thursday January 5 that he was the victim of a "
political affair
" in his country.
“
It's really a political affair.
I have always fought corrupt people in Ukraine, ”he said in words translated by an interpreter, at the helm of the chamber of instruction of the Chambery Court of Appeal.
The latter postponed to January 19 the examination of the validity of the extradition request, granting the two lawyers of the former deputy, who put forward a large quantity of documents to be translated.
A release into play
The investigating chamber must also decide this Thursday afternoon on the request for the release of the businessman, currently detained under extradition in the Aiton remand center (Savoie).
Aged 48, the majority shareholder of the mining company Ferrexpo, listed in London, also defended himself from being an oligarch: “
It is not true, I have always fought against them, and injustice .
Today, I'm paying for this
” and “
I don't deserve this
”.
Read alsoKostiantin Jevago, a wealthy Ukrainian businessman, arrested in Courchevel
Claiming to have requested a hearing "
15 times
" for three years to explain himself to the Ukrainian justice, which accuses him of having embezzled 113 million dollars from his bank Finance and Credit Bank, which went bankrupt in 2015, he claimed his confidence in "
French justice and its democratic foundations
".
Jevago ready to 'fight' the Russians
Resident in Dubai, he said he was ready to return to Ukraine "
not to go to prison, but to fight the
Russian aggressors".
“
I will do everything you ask
”, in the event of release, he assured the president of the chamber, Danielle Raynaud.
His lawyers, Me François Zimeray and Étienne Arnaud, put forward “
guarantees of representation
” in support of their request: a one-year lease of an apartment in Paris and proof of rental of another in Chambéry , as well as a bond of up to 1 million euros.
The Advocate General, Richard Pallain, rejected this request.
These accommodations are "
only for circumstances
", he said.
Then, addressing the president after having mentioned the “
very significant means
” of Kostiantin Jevago and consequently the possible risk of flight: “
you are the guarantor of the possibility that he will be handed over to the Ukrainian authorities
”.
Read alsoVolodymyr Hroïsman: "Corruption deprives my country, Ukraine, of the future"
According to Forbes, the businessman now weighs 1.3 billion dollars, against 2.3 billion the previous year.
Kostiantin Jevago was a member of the Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament, from 1998 to 2019, sometimes as an independent, sometimes in the camp of former Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko.
He was defeated in the legislative elections by a candidate from Volodymyr Zelensky's party.
