Media: Fugitive ex-lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko received citizenship of North Macedonia

Author:
Anna Kholodnova
Date:

Former Ukrainian Parliament member Oleksandr Onyshchenko received citizenship of North Macedonia.

This was reported by Balkan Insight.

Five months after receiving citizenship, he competed under the flag of North Macedonia at the horse jumping competition in Saint-Tropez, France. Onyshchenko published the corresponding photo on his Instagram profile on October 15.

But such news did not appear in the local sports media. Oleksandr Onyshchenkoʼs name is also not found in the Macedonian media, but he can be found in inquiries in English.

Judging by the photos he posted on Instagram, 53-year-old Onishchenko travels a lot, in particular to Monte Carlo and the United Arab Emirates, and is often in the company of world celebrities.

What is Onyshchenko accused of?

According to the investigation, ex-lawmaker Oleksandr Onyshchenko created a criminal organization, the members of which, from January 2013 to June 2016, seized more than 1.6 billion hryvnias from the sale of gas under agreements on joint activities with Ukrgazvydobuvannya PJSC. As a result, the company Ukrgazvydobuvannya suffered more than 740 million hryvnias in losses.

Law enforcement officers believe that there were 29 people in this criminal organization. They were all informed of the suspicion. During the investigation, €6 million, one plane, the office of a criminal organization, 10 apartments, 9 houses, 10 land plots, 11 cars, 39 bank accounts for a total of 315 million hryvnias were seized.

  • Since 2016, Oleksandr Onyshchenko has been hiding from law enforcement agencies of Ukraine.
  • In July 2018, NABU completed the investigation of Onishchenkoʼs so-called "gas case". According to the investigation, he managed a criminal organization that seized more than 1.6 billion hryvnias from the sale of natural gas within the framework of agreements on joint activities with Ukrgazvydobovaniya.
  • On January 11, 2021, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions against seven individuals and four entities for interfering in the US election. In addition to Peopleʼs Deputy Oleksandr Dubinskyi, the list includes ex-prosecutor of the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office Kostyantyn Kulyk, ex-Peopleʼs Deputy Oleksandr Onyshchenko, political scientist Andrii Telizhenko, assistants of Peopleʼs Deputy Andrii Derkach Dmytro Kovalchuk and Anton Symonenko, as well as media manager Petro Zhuravel.
  • Onyshchenko received Russian citizenship in October 2021.