During the Maidan protests, Yanukovych paid Gazmanov $60,000 for a New Year's corporate party
Former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych allegedly paid $60,000 for Russian singer Oleg Gazmanov to perform at a New Year’s corporate party in late 2013.
According to him, the performance for Yanukovych was one of the most expensive corporate gigs of Gazmanov’s career.
The testimony was given on June 16 during the trial of the singer’s former manager, Dmitry Tsarenko, whom Russian investigators accuse of fraud in connection with the organization of concerts.
According to investigators, Tsarenko organized the artist’s performances, received funds bypassing the official company, and may have embezzled at least 15 million rubles. During the trial, witnesses are describing payment schemes and concert fees.
Kovalyov stated that payment for Yanukovych’s performance was made in cash in U.S. dollars.
“Black cash,” is how the artist’s former manager described the payment method.
According to him, he personally received cash for organizing this event. At the same time, information regarding the fee amount is currently based solely on Kovalyov’s testimony, rather than on publicly available financial documents.
The events in question took place in late 2013—during the Revolution of Dignity, when mass protests were ongoing in Ukraine following the government’s abandonment of the course toward European integration.
Following the start of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Oleg Gazmanov repeatedly supported the Kremlin’s policies and publicly endorsed the actions of the Russian authorities. Viktor Yanukovych himself has been in Russia since fleeing Ukraine in 2014 and has been convicted by Ukrainian courts in a number of criminal cases.
This was stated during a court hearing in Moscow by the artist’s former manager, Andriy Kovalov, according to “NSN.”
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The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine appealed to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and the Security Service of Ukraine with a request to initiate sanctions against one of the suspects in the case of land fraud involving the “Stolichny” market. The case involves former Ukrainian MP Yuriy Ivanyushchenko, a member of the now-banned Party of Regions.
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