Former chairman of the Party of Regions faction and ex-deputy Alexander Efremov left the country at the beginning of a full-scale war and is now in Moscow. This is stated in material from Radio Libertypublished October 23.
In Ukraine, 69-year-old Efremov is accused of treason and promoting the creation of the so-called “Luhansk People’s Republic.” According to investigators, he helped in the seizure of the administrative buildings of the Lugansk Regional State Administration and the SBU in 2014.
Despite accusations of a number of crimes, in 2019 the ex-deputy was released from custody under house arrest. Even later, the preventive measure was replaced with a personal obligation.
“After leaving the pre-trial detention center, Efremov began to regularly travel abroad. In particular, to Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism). Including right before the full-scale invasion,” the journalists said.
According to them, the man traveled to the Russian Federation (*aggressor country) four times through a checkpoint in the Sumy region. However, after the full-scale invasion of Russian troops, the “regional” left Ukraine by rail, traveling to Slovakia.
Investigators found that Efremov is now in Moscow, where he has two registered places of residence.
The first is located in the elite residential complex “Triumph Palace” and occupies two floors (26 and 27). The apartment has an area of 466.5 square meters and is registered in the name of the politician’s son, Igor.
The second apartment is also located in the Triumph Palace, but on the 11th floor. Their total area is 191.8 square meters. The official owner of the property is also Igor.
The media emphasized that the total value of the found real estate was more than $4 million, that is, more than 150 million hryvnia.
In addition, the ex-deputy has an individual tax number and insurance number (SNILS) in Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism), which allows him to receive pension payments.
Efremov’s comment
Journalists contacted Efremov through his Russian number, but he did not want to answer the question about his stay in Moscow and plans to return.
“You know, I have no plans to give any interviews now, goodbye,” the former parliamentarian simply said.
Explanation from law enforcement officers
The Office of the Prosecutor General responded to a media request that the ex-deputy accused of treason does not have a preventive measure and has not been put on the wanted list. The fact that no court hearings were scheduled in the case against Efremov was explained by the department as “the temporary occupation of Starobelsk.”
Let us recall that in 2014, Alexander Efremov spoke out regarding the accusations against him. He stated that “this is a lie and this is a provocation”.
Previously, the media reported that Efremov’s family kept $33.5 million in Swiss accounts. All these funds were blocked in 2016.
Focus.ua, 07/23/2019, “Efremov keeps $33.5 million in Switzerland, – media”: Switzerland has released data on the funds of the former head of the Party of Regions, Alexander Efremov. About it reports DW, citing the Swiss court register. Since 2006, Efremov’s accounts, which are controlled by his son and wife, have received 33 million francs ($33.5 million). It is also known that the ex-regional’s money is in the accounts of a number of companies from Cyprus, the Virgin Islands and Canada. These same accounts appear in the criminal case opened against Efremov after Yanukovych’s escape. — Insert K.ru
Focus.ua, 10.23.2023, “The head of the Yanukovych faction, Efremov, fled to Russia (*country sponsor of terrorism): lives in Moscow in luxury apartments”: The former head of the Party of Regions faction, Alexander Efremov, withdrew millions of dollars into the accounts of his foreign companies back when he served as head of the Lugansk Regional State Administration. It is noted that the GPU received such data from the US Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On January 4, 2017, the General Prosecutor’s Office of Ukraine sent an indictment against Efremov to the court. He is accused of organizing the seizure of the building of the Lugansk Regional State Administration (Part 3 of Article 27, Article 341 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine); in complicity in the seizure of the Directorate of the Security Service of Ukraine in the Lugansk region (Part 5 of Article 27, Article 341 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Efremov is also charged with committing deliberate actions with the aim of changing the boundaries of the territory and the state border of Ukraine in violation of the order established by the Constitution, committed by a person who is a representative of the government, by prior conspiracy by a group of persons, resulting in grave consequences (Part 3 of Article 110 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine); organizational and other assistance in the creation and activities of the terrorist organization “Lugansk People’s Republic” (Part 1 of Article 258-3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine); high treason (part 1 of article 111 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). Efremov was detained on July 30, 2016 at Boryspil airport, from where, according to the GPU, he tried to fly to Vienna. On August 1, the Pechersky District Court of Kyiv decided to arrest the ex-deputy for 2 months without the right to post bail. Then his detention was extended. In 2019, he was released from custody. — Insert K.ru
