Former MP Pavlo Kholimon: Investigation into real estate and income

Former Ukrainian People's Deputy from the Servant of the People party, Pavlo Kholimon, has become the centre of an investigation into the acquisition of luxury real estate.

 According to journalists, in the summer of 2022, a mansion worth 10 million hryvnia was purchased on the Pecherskyi Hills in Kyiv, officially registered in the name of Anastasiia Kotelenets, the ex-deputy's cohabitant. Despite the transaction being registered in a third party's name, Kholimon himself allegedly resides in the house.

The real estate object, with a total area of 10 sotkas, was purchased from Alexander Drabynko, a hierarch of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Real estate market experts note that the cost of similar houses in this area is usually significantly higher.

Land assets and business connections

Anastasiia Kotelenets not only owns luxury real estate but is also the owner of 45 land plots in Chernihiv Oblast. According to journalists, some of these transactions were processed with the involvement of Andrii Zoriy, co-founder of the "Agro-House" company, whose director was previously Kholimon himself.

Natalia Ropchan, a former assistant to Kholimon, is also linked to these acquisitions; she represented Kotelenets's interests in land deals. She also had business relations with Andrii Zoriy, creating a chain of connections between the participants of the scheme.

Declaration and actual assets

An analysis of Pavlo Kholimon's declaration for 2022 shows that he owns land plots in Chernihiv Oblast, as well as an apartment in Pryluky. His vehicle fleet includes a 2020 BMW R1250GS Adventure motorcycle and a 2011 Lexus GX460. In addition, he uses Audi Q7, Toyota Highlander, and Toyota Camry vehicles belonging to third parties.

Notably, according to journalists, Kholimon's daughter, Sofia, owns real estate in Kyiv and also uses an apartment in the USA.

Public reaction and consequences

Following the publication of the investigation into the possible illegal enrichment of Pavlo Kholimon, there was a reaction from parliamentarians. People's Deputy Yaroslav Yurchyshyn publicly condemned the actions of his former colleague, while the head of the Servant of the People party, Yelena Shulak, announced his resignation from the post of head of the party's Chernihiv Oblast organisation.

The Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office initiated an investigation; however, the information was entered into the Unified Register of Pre-trial Investigations only several days later. In turn, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine stated that at present there are insufficient grounds for a criminal case.

Despite the scandal, most of the assets are missing from Kholimon's updated declaration for 2023, and only one motorcycle is listed in the movable property section. This raises additional questions for the public and anti-corruption bodies.

Continuation of the investigation

The editorial team of "StopKor" sent requests to the NABU, SAP, and the Servant of the People party, as well as personally to Pavlo Kholimon. The official response from the party was that it is not a subject of governmental authority and is not obliged to disclose such information. The NABU reported that the absence of a pre-trial investigation is due to a lack of evidence.

According to StopKor