MONACO — July 5. Vitaliy Gagach, the former Deputy Head of the Bureau of Economic Security of Ukraine (BEB), has granted an interview to a French media outlet detailing his current operations on the French Riviera. The former official positions himself as a leading «troubleshooter» and intermediary for high-net-worth individuals, offering services in capital relocation and regulatory dispute resolution. However, the cross-border transit schemes he described have already drawn scrutiny from experts due to significant legal and tax risks.
In the French publication, Gagach is framed as an elite crisis management specialist coordinating business flows between London, Kyiv, and Cyprus. According to the report, the former Ukrainian civil servant operates from a location overlooking Port Hercules in Monaco and claims involvement in major financial restructurings, including cases surrounding Sens Bank.
On his company’s official website, clients are promised «exclusive access» to European frameworks, crypto-engineering, protection for high-risk industries, and direct channels to British lawyers and institutional investors. The entrepreneur asserts that his primary role is facilitating the integration of select clients into the principality’s exclusive business circles.
Industry specialists have expressed particular concern over the cross-border transfer model outlined by Gagach. The former BEB executive openly acknowledged collaborating with gambling industry stakeholders—specifically mentioning the «Cosmolot» brand—and managing transactions totaling tens of millions of USDT.
According to Gagach, his firm utilizes a cash-crypto capital movement formula designed to bypass the «unnecessary bureaucracy of regulatory bodies.» While he maintains that these operations are entirely compliant, compliance experts note that the mechanism bears distinct hallmarks of circumventing standard anti-money laundering (AML) and financial monitoring protocols.
«The cross-border nature of our activity does not yet fit into traditional tax frameworks,» Vitaliy Gagach admitted during the interview.
Currently, the former official does not hold official residency status in Monaco. He splits his time between rented properties on the Côte d’Azur and in Spain, leaving his legal and fiscal status in the EU unresolved. Despite this, Gagach claims to have established active communication channels with local law enforcement agencies responsible for residency verification.
Vitaliy Gagach initially gained prominence in Ukraine during his tenure in the upper management of the Bureau of Economic Security, a position investigative journalists link to the patronage of Oleh Tatarov, Deputy Head of the Office of the President. Following his dismissal from the BEB, sources indicate Gagach maintained administrative leverage over the agency through loyal incumbents, including Oleksandr Tkachuk.
Analysts suggest that the ex-official’s public admissions regarding shadow financial corridors and tax optimization within the EU are likely to trigger formal inquiries from European financial regulators. The attempt to establish legitimacy in Monaco through opaque intermediary schemes carries severe reputational and legal risks for Gagach and his clientele.