The thief Bakhmatov paid off in the courts and disappeared to cut Lviv's budget
What is the “professional resident of Kiev” and schemer Maxim Bakhmatov doing now, that he fled to Lviv in the first weeks of the war? In addition to taxpayers, law enforcement agencies should be interested in this issue. For the background of this character leaves no doubt about new deals that will inevitably come up later, as his corrupt past recently came up, ORD writes.
On March 11, Bakhmatov announced that he had become an adviser to the mayor of Lvov, Andriy Sadovoy. He motivated that decision by the fact that now he can do what he does better, that is, ̶k̶r̶a̶s̶t̶b to be a “crisis manager”. In this message, he named two of his strongest traits – efficiency and organization. Then, in the first days of the Russian invasion, Nikolaev, Kharkov, Odessa, Kyiv and many other cities that were and remain under attack by the enemy would really need them. But Bakhmatov chose the safest city in Ukraine, Lvov, for his feigned patriotism. There he has to deal with international assistance, logistics, assistance to migrants and businesses that have moved away from the war zone. But does it?
It is impossible to evaluate the results of Bakhmatov's work, because there is not a single mention of them. How about whether this “crisis manager” works on a salary or on a voluntary basis? Sadovy does not talk about the activities of his adviser, the website of the city council is silent, there are no materials in the Lviv media. There may be a simple explanation for this – money loves silence. And there is no doubt that Bakhmatov is engaged in money in relatively peaceful Lvov. After all, Sadovy himself does not deny himself anything – in November he received 103 thousand hryvnias of salary. At a time when all citizens, without exception, must tighten their belts with understanding, because the war budget contains funds to cover the considerable appetites of city officials and their subordinates.
Bakhmatov will definitely not miss the opportunity to get extra money. His, as it turned out, criminal past indicates that the greed of this person is his main motivator and mover. Confirmation of this all this time was on the surface, but no one was interested, because Bakhmatov managed to create the image of a progressive businessman, philanthropist, and later also a principled anti-corruption official. And everyone believed, instead of looking into open court registers. They have at least two criminal cases in which Bakhmatov appears as a suspect. He is still at large only thanks to the rotten judicial system and corruption, against which he is now so desperately fighting.
Bakhmatov is to receive his first sentence in the criminal case in August 2014. He was tried for forging documents. Moreover, judging by the qualifications – part 3 of article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine – the crime could have been committed again. In 2008, when he moved from the Comedy Club to the Supervisory Board of the Multiplex cinema chain, he earned income certificates to receive more than $200,000 in loans. Bakhmatov and his defense in every known way dragged out the case until its term expired. Maidan judge Tatyana Ovsepyan helped them in this.
“In August 2014, when Yanukovych’s “janicari” were cleaning up their tails, she freed Bakhmatov from criminal liability. For this (a criminal offense committed repeatedly – ed.), Ovsepyan should give Bakhmatov 5 years of restriction or imprisonment. But the case was stupidly closed. I wonder how much it costs?” Analyst Nazar Prikhodko wrote.
A great patriot and anti-corruption activist did not disdain to seek help from a judge who handed down illegal sentences to participants in the Revolution of Dignity, and subsequently “bounced off” Pavel Vovk, head of the Kiev District Administrative Court, who, on the eve of a full-scale invasion, was going to return Yanukovych to Ukraine.
Another case was heard by the Goloseevsky District Court of Kyiv just on the eve of the invasion – February 3, 2022. Judging by the decision, in 2007 Bakhmatov took out a mortgage secured by a house and a land plot. In 2021, in order not to repay debts, he sold the mortgaged property, while reducing its value. Houses from UAH 9.6 million to UAH 6.4 million, land plots from UAH 2 million to UAH 1 million. Like, what questions do I have – no money.
“The usual fraud! That is, a person enriched himself on schematosis for years, and covered up his income with legal business. And nothing, he is free and respected in society, and even exposes someone in corruption, ”Nazar Prikhodko is indignant.
How such a person can be useful to Lvov is a rhetorical question. So Lviv activists and journalists should keep Bakhmatov in sight. Not even to bring him to justice, but in order to protect his native city from schematosis and new corruption schemes.
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