**Ukraine Opens Criminal Cases Against Ex-President and Sanctioned Oligarchs**
The Prosecutor General’s Office in Ukraine has announced that criminal proceedings have been opened against five businessmen and former high-ranking officials who were recently sanctioned by the National Security and Defense Council (NSDC).
Those targeted include oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky, billionaire Konstantin Zhevago, former PrivatBank co-owner Hennadiy Boholyubov, Ukraine’s 5th President Petro Poroshenko, and former pro-Russian lawmaker Viktor Medvedchuk.
The Prosecutor General’s Office said that each of the five individuals is being held criminally liable for committing serious and especially serious crimes. They face various charges, including embezzlement, money laundering, high treason, and violations of war laws.
**Charges Against Each Individual**
* Petro Poroshenko is accused of high treason and aiding terrorist organizations for allegedly conspiring with Russian-backed separatists between November 2014 and January 2015. He reportedly made over Hr 3 billion ($72 million) in profits from coal supplies.
* Viktor Medvedchuk faces charges of high treason, violating war laws, and helping Russia seize a Ukrainian oil and gas field in the Black Sea’s Kerch Shelf.
* Ihor Kolomoisky is under investigation for embezzling over Hr 5.36 billion ($129 million) from a financial institution and laundering nearly Hr 4.1 billion ($99 million).
* Konstantin Zhevago is suspected of embezzling $113 million and misappropriating Hr 608 million ($15 million) from a Ukrainian bank through a conspiracy with bank officials.
* Hennadiy Boholyubov is being investigated for illegal possession of another person’s passport and organizing an unlawful border crossing with the help of a border guard.
The sanctions freeze all assets held by the targeted individuals in Ukraine and block them from conducting financial transactions, among other restrictions.