The Economic Court of Kyiv has ruled to confiscate the special permit for the use of subsoil resources of the Korosten deposit in the Zhytomyr region for the benefit of the state. This decision follows an investigation conducted by journalists from the ‘Schemes’ project, who previously discovered that this permit belonged to the Unigran group of companies, linked to the sanctioned Russian businessman Igor Naumets.
This is reported by Finway
According to information, Naumets, despite the existing sanctions imposed by the National Security and Defense Council, managed to transfer his assets in Ukraine bypassing the state, which poses a significant threat to national interests. In 2024, circumventing state mechanisms, the company ‘Korosten Quarry’, associated with Naumets, sold the special permit for subsoil extraction to another company, ‘Novel Prom’, for one million hryvnias. Later, in October, this company resold the extraction rights for over two million hryvnias to a new owner — ‘Korosten Mining Company’, whose ultimate beneficiary is Serhiy Shapran.
Legal Case and Sanction Violations
In September 2024, the Cypriot company I.E.S. Mining Company Limited, a shareholder of ‘Korosten Quarry’, approached the Economic Court of Kyiv demanding to declare the sale agreement of the special permit invalid. They claimed that the sale transactions occurred without the consent of shareholders due to the sanctions imposed on Naumets. The plaintiff also stated that the true value of the permit could reach 32 million hryvnias if it had been obtained through the State Geological Service.
The Security Service of Ukraine, the Office of the Prosecutor General, and the Ministry of Justice, involved as third parties, pointed out numerous violations during the sale transactions. Judge Roman Boyko emphasized these violations in his ruling, deciding to confiscate the special permit in favor of the state, as well as to recover three million hryvnias obtained from the resale.
Asset Withdrawal and Criminal Case
It is worth noting that sanctions against Igor Naumets were imposed by the National Security and Defense Council in the spring of 2023, when attempts to withdraw assets from his business became known. The investigation confirmed that the assets of the Unigran group, valued at one billion hryvnias, ended up in the hands of Serhiy Shapran, who has connections with former Kyiv prosecutor Oleg Kiper.
Shapran, who previously served as a deputy of the Brovary City Council, attempted to distance himself from connections with Naumets, claiming that all his transactions are legal. However, in December 2024, the National Police opened proceedings regarding the illegal sale of the holding’s assets, merging it with materials from a previous investigation that has been ongoing since April 2022.
The Ministry of Justice stated that they are taking measures to identify and analyze assets related to Naumets for the purpose of their confiscation in favor of the state.