Former Prosecutor Klyantso: Elite Real Estate, Luxury Cars

Former head of the South-Eastern Interregional Directorate of ARMA and former prosecutor Nikolai Klyantso declared real estate that he does not formally own. 

The declaration lists several properties, located predominantly in Odesa. Among them is a house with an area of 187.3 sq m, acquired back in 2011. However, Klyantso is listed only as a user, while his relative, Tatyana Klyantso, is indicated as the owner.

In addition, two apartments are registered in the name of Natalya Yaroшенко (designated in the declaration as “another related person”): one of 41 sq m (acquired in 2015) and another of 45 sq m (purchased in 2021 for UAH 889,000). In 2024, another apartment of 53.4 sq m, valued at UAH 1 million, appeared, but it is registered in the name of Iryna Pylypchuk. The declaration contains a note regarding signs of Article 46 of the Law of Ukraine “On Prevention of Corruption” concerning this property, which may indicate Klyantso’s de facto control over the housing.

Interestingly, the 187.3 sq m house is also listed in the declaration as the registered address of Natalya Yaroшенко. This fact raises questions about whether properties are being deliberately duplicated to create an illusion of transparency.

Cars and Financial Manipulations

Particular attention is drawn to Klyantso’s car fleet. The declaration lists two Audi A8 vehicles: one manufactured in 2015, acquired for UAH 2.42 million, and the second from 2024, valued at UAH 4.49 million. Both cars are registered in the name of Natalya Yaroшенко.

It is noteworthy that Klyantso’s official salary for 2024 amounted to only UAH 264,000, which clearly does not correspond to the level of his asset acquisitions. At the same time, the declaration lists income from the sale of “movable property”: UAH 2.05 million from Yevheniya Hess and UAH 500,000 from Roman Humenyuk (the money was received by Yaroшенко). However, it is not specified exactly what was sold. It is possible that this refers to an old Audi A8, which was replaced by a new model.

Yaroшенко also declared UAH 2.38 million in income from entrepreneurial activity, which brings the Klyantso family’s total annual income to over UAH 5 million. However, the question remains: what funds were used to purchase the expensive cars and real estate?

Cash and Suspicious Loans

Klyantso holds UAH 1.03 million in cash, while Yaroшенко holds UAH 100,000. The declaration also lists a large loan of UAH 1 million granted to Iryna Pylypchuk. This amount matches the price of the 53.4 sq m apartment, which may indicate an attempt to conceal ownership through the structuring of a loan.

Shadow of a Corrupt Past

Nikolai Klyantso’s biography raises even more questions. He held the positions of Deputy Prosecutor of Odesa Oblast, Head of the Directorate for Human Rights Protection and Anti-Corruption in the Transport Sector, and headed the Kyiv Interregional Directorate of Ukrtransbezpeka. In the past, he was a trusted associate of Volodymyr Orlov — former Deputy Head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, who was detained while receiving a bribe of USD 200,000.

According to information from the detective agency ABSOLUTION