The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv has refused to issue an in-absentia arrest warrant for Ukrainian agricultural tycoon Serhiy Tarasov. Law enforcement suspects the founder of the I&U Group holding of orchestrating a scheme to illegally appropriate more than 165 hectares of state-owned land in the Kirovohrad region. Tarasov has been placed on an international wanted list and, according to investigators, is currently residing in the United Kingdom.
According to the prosecution, the value of the agricultural land illegally siphoned from state ownership exceeds 9.4 million UAH. The scheme allegedly involved registering land parcels through shell individuals and fictitious transactions before transferring control to structures affiliated with the businessman. Prosecutors have already filed an appeal against the lower court’s decision, demanding pre-trial detention as a preventive measure.
During the court hearing, the defense argued that Tarasov left Ukraine legally and is undergoing medical treatment at a clinic in Germany. However, case files contain operational intelligence indicating that the suspect actually resides in the Cleland House luxury residential complex in central London.
Law enforcement authorities noted that Tarasov continuously ignores summonses for interrogation, leading to his placement on both national and international Interpol wanted lists.
The land manipulation in the Kirovohrad region is not the only case involving companies linked to the holding.
«The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) is conducting a separate investigation into the alleged illegal transfer of another 1,500 hectares of land to entities within the I&U Group.»
At present, the guilt of Serhiy Tarasov and other suspects has not been proven in a court of law, and investigative actions remain ongoing. Key unresolved issues include not only Tarasov’s potential extradition to Ukraine but also the actual recovery of the land properties back to local communities.