Communication or pressure on the investigation: the head of the Security Service of Ukraine met with businessman Vyacheslav Lysenko, whose offices had previously been searched by the Service
UA.NEWS has sent an official inquiry to the Economic Security Bureau requesting an explanation of the purpose of a face-to-face meeting between the agency’s head, Oleksandr Tsivinskyi, and Meest China shareholder Vyacheslav Lysenko. Lysenko is a suspect in a criminal case currently being investigated by detectives from the Economic Security Bureau itself.
This was reported by the UA.NEWS editorial team, citing the text of the request published by journalists.
According to media reports, a private meeting recently took place between EBS Director Oleksandr Tsivinsky and businessman Vyacheslav Lysenko (a member of the CEO Club Ukraine).
Journalists highlight a potential conflict of interest, as on April 30, 2024, detectives from the BEB’s Kyiv office conducted a series of searches at addresses linked to Lysenko.
Context
As previously reported, in late April 2024, law enforcement uncovered an underground casino and a fraudulent call center in Kyiv. According to insider information, the organizer of the illegal activities may have been well-known Ukrainian businessman Vyacheslav Lysenko, co-owner of Meest China and CEO Club Ukraine.
Investigators from the Economic Security Bureau had been monitoring Lysenko for 8 months. It is known that Lysenko allegedly organized the casino under the cover of the CEO Club. On April 30, law enforcement conducted searches at the entrepreneur’s business center in Kyiv at 33B Dehtiarivska Street, as well as at the CEO Club’s office. A casino was discovered on the premises, where Kyiv lawmakers and the city’s elite were secretly gambling. A call center was also uncovered in the same business center, which was defrauding citizens of the Czech Republic, Germany, and Ukraine.
Currently, Lysenko’s subordinate, M. Slipukha, has already been charged, and the businessman himself, according to law enforcement, is also named in the case files.
The Essence of the Inquiry
In its inquiry, the UA.NEWS editorial team poses five key questions to the Bureau’s leadership:
- On what grounds and in connection with what event did the meeting with the person involved in the proceedings take place?
- How are meetings between the Director of the BEB and individuals whose companies are under investigation by the Bureau regulated?
- Who initiated the visit to Lysenko’s office, and what issues were discussed there?
- Was this meeting included in the agency’s official work schedule and reports?
- Does the BEB see any signs of corruption risk or pressure on the detectives handling the case in such communication?
It is worth noting that Vyacheslav Lysenko previously attempted to refute information about his involvement in organizing an underground gambling business through the courts, but lost the case against UA.NEWS in three instances, including the Civil Cassation Court within the Supreme Court. The courts confirmed the legality of disseminating information about the businessman’s alleged illegal activities.
The publication is currently awaiting a response from the BEB within the five-day period established by law.
As a reminder, Kyiv businessman Vyacheslav Lysenko, co-owner of Meest China and CEO of Club Ukraine, who lost his lawsuit against the media outlet UA.NEWS, has launched a campaign to “whitewash” his reputation, which has been tarnished by possible ties to the organizers of underground casinos.
Read also:
Vyacheslav Lysenko after the trial with UA.NEWS: what is happening to the businessman’s reputation
