Ukrainian prosecutors and police suggested on May 8 that jailed billionaire Ihor Kolomoyskiy has been informed that he is under suspicion of a crime in connection with an attempted contract killing two decades ago.
Without naming Kolomoyskiy, the National Police said via Telegram that they have "indisputable evidence confirming the identity of the customer" who ordered the hit and described that suspect's circumstances.
The Prosecutor-General's Office also avoided naming the suspect but accompanied its Telegram post with a pixelated image that appeared to be Kolomoyskiy, who supported Zelenskiy's presidential bid in 2019 election and is already in custody to face fraud and money-laundering charges.
The police said the suspect has been in custody since September 2023.
One of Ukraine's richest individuals, Kolomoyskiy has been in custody since September. He has already denied involvement in the attempted murder case, which could carry a life sentence if he is convicted.
The National Police said the motive was "revenge on a lawyer for refusing to cooperate in an illegal arrangement."
They said the unnamed suspect was notified of their suspicions on May 8.
Doctors managed to save the life of the lawyer at the center of the 2003 case after four men beat and stabbed him. The perpetrators were apprehended.
More than a month after his detention in September, Kolomoyskiy transferred corporate rights over his 1+1 media group to the company’s employees.
A native of Dnipro, a major industrial city in southeastern Ukraine, Kolomoyskiy has owned banks, energy firms, metals companies, airlines, and one of the nation's most influential television channels.
In 2021, he was blacklisted by the U.S. State Department for alleged corruption and undermining democracy at home.
His supporters say he is being wrongly prosecuted in an effort by Ukrainian officials to demonstrate to Western allies that they are serious about fighting corruption.
