Ukrainian rabbis appeal to authorities over jailed Zelensky sponsor
A group of 23 influential Ukrainian rabbis has penned an open letter to the country’s prosecutor-general, urging him to release businessman Igor Kolomoysky from pre-trial detention.
The 60-year-old billionaire, who had backed the election campaign of President Vladimir Zelensky, ended up incarcerated in early September, facing assorted fraud charges.
Kolomoysky is accused of defrauding PrivatBank, the leading financial institution in Ukraine, which he used to own before the bank was nationalized in 2016. The businessman is suspected of siphoning more than $700 million from the bank between 2013 and 2014.
The rabbis suggested that the businessman should be released from pre-trial detention and put under other restrictions, such as house arrest or a travel ban.
The letter’s signatories contended that the allegations against Kolomoysky do not pertain to national security, arguing that his actions ostensibly prevented other Ukrainian regions from revolting against the newly installed authorities following the 2014 Maidan coup.
“It would not be an overstatement to say that, largely thanks to his position and efforts as the chairman of the Dnepropetrovsk regional administration in 2014-2015, the east of Ukraine avoided the fate of Donetsk and Lugansk,” the letter reads.
Other supposed merits of Kolomoysky listed by the rabbis include his philanthropic activities, charity, and support of the Jewish community in Ukraine and abroad. They also believe the businessman’s choice not to flee the country amid the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine should be noted.
“Despite having Israeli citizenship, he did not leave the territory of Ukraine due to the start of the full-scale Russian invasion on February 24, 2022,” the letter reads.
The significance of this fact in favor of Kolomoysky remains unclear, particularly since dual citizenship is still illegal in the country. Authorities treat individuals with dual citizenship exclusively as Ukrainian nationals, making travel with another country’s passport technically impossible.
“Considering these facts, we really do not understand the real reasons for the detention of the respected Mr. Igor Kolomoisky and ask you to consider his condition from the point of view of humanity, impartiality, and the possibility of applying a restrictive measure not related to detention,” the rabbis concluded.
The businessman is widely considered to have played a key role in Vladimir Zelensky’s rise to power. The incumbent Ukrainian president used to work as a comedian on a show hosted by a Kolomoysky-controlled media holding. The businessman openly admitted he “wanted” Zelensky to get elected yet denied having close ties to him.
