In anticipation of suspicion Andrey Kobolev met with the head of the Presidential Office Andrey Yermak
A few days before receiving suspicion from the SAPO and NABU, the ex-chairman of the NAC “Naftogaz of Ukraine» Andriy Kobolev met with the head of the President’s Office, Andriy Yermak. Yermak offered Kobolev a position in the public sector, but Kobolev agreed only to an informal position as an adviser. They told about it LIGA two civil servants and a member of Andrei Kobolev’s team.
According to one LIGA interlocutor from the public sector, Yermak met with Kobolev at least twice: the first time in Washington, and the second time in Ukraine. The meetings took place on the recommendation of the American side, he says, but Kobolev refused the official position.
“They discussed the position of adviser,” says another government official, who asked not to be identified. According to the EP, “representatives of the President’s Office” discussed with Kobolev the possibility of involving him in cooperation, “within which the ex-chairman of Naftogaz could deal with the energy sector, including the restoration of energy infrastructure.”
By the time the news was released, neither Kobolev nor Yermak’s press secretary had responded to the LIGA’s request to confirm or deny the information about their meetings. Also did not answer this question, the interlocutor of LIGA, close to the head of the President’s Office. At the same time, he stated that Yermak allegedly did not know about the plans of SAPO and NABU to hand over suspicion to Kobolev.
Andriy Kobolev himself, on the day the suspicion was handed to him on January 19, said that he had returned to Ukraine, realizing that he would be declared suspect. And the next day, he refuted the “theses that disperse” Telegram channels, saying that Kobolev was allegedly “lured to Kyiv” on purpose. “This is not true. I knew very well that I was going to defend in a criminal case that has been under investigation by NABU for about five years.”, — wrote he’s on Facebook.
According to a LIGA.net interlocutor close to the ex-head of Naftogaz, Kobolev returned to protect his reputation, as he plans to start a business in Ukraine in the future. He also confirmed that Yermak and Kobolev discussed the position of adviser.
- Andrey Kobolev has headed the board of Naftogaz since March 2014 to April 2021. After Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he joined the Ukrainian team of lobbyists who are pushing sanctions against the aggressor country in the US, Europe and the Middle East, he said in an interview with LIGA.net in June. Details on how Ukraine is lobbying for sanctions in the international arena against the Russian Federation, LIGA.net told back in June.
- January 19, 2023 Kobolev received Suspicion from SAPO and NABU because of the almost $10 million bonus in Naftogaz. Four days later, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court rejected NABU’s request to arrest the ex-chairman of Naftogaz. Subsequently, the SAP stated that it did not agree with this decision and was going to appeal it.
- In February, Kobolev stated in interview Forbes-Ukraine that he founded a company in the United States that will attract investments for energy decarbonization projects in Ukraine. The company was named ENEY and its other co-founder was Suriya Jayanti, Energy Transition Advisor at the US Department of Commerce, according to the ENEY website.
Bogdan Zaika, Yuri Smirnov
