Andriy Pavelko was detained in Slovakia; Ukraine has initiated extradition proceedings
Andriy Pavelko, the former president of the Ukrainian Football Association, was detained in Bratislava, according to “Ukrainska Pravda,” citing a statement by Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the publication’s sources.
According to Kravchenko, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies had been searching for the former high-ranking official of the Ukrainian Football Federation. Investigators suspect him of organizing a scheme to embezzle nearly 295 million hryvnias from the Federation through commercial entities under his control.
According to the investigation, fictitious contracts were drawn up for the supply of seafood, premium teas, coffee, and electrical equipment—all of which existed only on paper—in order to siphon off the funds. As a result, the prosecutor’s office claims, the Ukrainian Football Federation and its regional branches suffered losses amounting to several million.
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The Prosecutor General stated that Ukraine has already initiated extradition proceedings against the detainee. “I have sent a letter to the competent authorities of the Slovak Republic expressing my intention to request the extradition of this individual, as well as to seek his temporary detention,” Kravchenko wrote.
In April, the case against Pavelko and UAF Secretary General Yuriy Zapisotsky, who are accused of embezzling 26.5 million hryvnias, was referred to court. According to “Ukrainska Pravda,” Pavelko told investigators at the time that he was undergoing medical treatment in Germany.
