The recent statement by the First Deputy Prosecutor General Vladyslav Kasko that the case of the "diamond prosecutors" will soon be revived has alarmed its participants significantly.

Let us recall that it was opened in response to a complaint from an entrepreneur engaged in illegal sand mining, claiming that representatives of the GPU and the prosecutor’s office of the capital region were demanding significant bribes for "protecting" his unofficial business. At that time, Deputy Head of the Main Investigative Department of the GPU Volodymyr Shapakin and Deputy Prosecutor of Kyiv Region Oleksandr Korniyets were accused of bribery.

Their famous nickname "diamond prosecutors" was acquired after searches were conducted in their homes and offices. Investigators found more than $500,000 in cash, automatic and cold weapons, as well as numerous pieces of jewelry and about four dozen bags of precious stones - diamonds. Later, Korniyets, attempting to justify himself, embarrassingly called the 102 stones found "microscopic" and cheap. It was thought that he hoped to somewhat mitigate journalists’ and the public’s harsh statements and that in time the unfortunate nickname would be forgotten.

The Jeweler’s Case

However, as it later turned out, the diamonds found during the search may be evidence of other official crimes. In particular, the appropriation by the ex-prosecutor Korniyets of physical evidence that appears in another equally high-profile criminal case. It’s about the 2010 search of the building of once the leading jewelry manufacturer in Ukraine - the Kyiv enterprise "YUVK-Agat". During the search, diamonds weighing 500 carats (valued at $880,000), emeralds weighing 600 carats ($68,500), sapphires ($95,000), aquamarines ($6,500), and citrines ($5,500) each totaling a thousand carats, amethysts of 5,000 carats ($30,500), 10,000 carats of topazes ($55,000), 15,000 carats of amber ($5,500), 25,000 carats of pearls ($20,000) were removed from the company’s safes and production premises by law enforcement officers. Gold in products and ingots was removed by investigators with a total mass of over 500 kilograms. Cash amounting to $1.3 million was also seized.

As the investigation would later reveal, new criminal proceedings against Korniyets were opened following the appeal of the owner of the company "YUVK-Agat", Serhiy Kyselyov, who had been unaware for a long time of the fate of the seized jewels. Officially, they were physical evidence in the jeweler’s case itself and were supposed to be kept in secure storage. But when the scandal with the prosecutors erupted in the summer of 2015, and photos of the seized precious stones appeared online, Kiselev accidentally recognized his items in them. He immediately informed GPU staff about it.

From Serhiy Kyselyov’s account to journalists, it became known that problems began after Viktor Yanukovych came to power. Initially, he was demanded to hand over the successful enterprise to the entourage of the runaway president, and then, after refusing, to become part of an illegal VAT refund scheme. When neither the first nor the second could be implemented, a search ensued on trumped-up grounds, as well as the seizure of cash and jewels. The jeweler tried for a long time to prove his righteousness but received only proposals to get back his property on the condition that a part of it would be given to law enforcement officers in return.

The Werewolf in Uniform

According to Serhiy Kyselyov, the initiator and organizer of his persecution was the high-ranking tax official Yuriy Atamanyuk, who devised the scheme known as "return VAT" in export operations with gold. These were supposed to be implemented by Kiselev’s companies. Naturally, the Major General of the tax service, Atamanyuk, rejected the accusations against him, stating that he had no connection to Kiselev’s problems. Nor is he the subject of any criminal proceedings.

However, this turned out to be untrue, as, most likely, Atamanyuk’s words about his non-involvement in the jeweler’s case are also false. Thus, the case is being considered by the Main Military Prosecutor’s Office, case number 42018000000000564 concerning the signs of a crime under Part 1, Art. 255, Part 4, Art. 28, Part 2, Art. 364, and Part 3, Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. It’s about the so-called cases of the former head of the Ministry of Revenues and Duties, Klymenko. In this, the investigation suspects a group of people in organizing schemes for illegal VAT reimbursement, causing damage to the state amounting to over 104 billion hryvnias. At the exchange rate then, this is around $13.5 billion. As part of the investigation, military prosecutors requested tax authorities to provide information on the sources and volumes of income of Yuriy Atamanyuk and his relatives (Nikityuk Zoya, Boyarskyi Ihor, Boyarskyi Volodymyr, Atamanyuk Kyrylo, Atamanyuk Oleksndr, Atamanyuk Davyd, Golovyin Oleh, Kostetska Elina, and Tucha Serhiy). Apparently, the prosecution has doubts about the legality of the origin of Atamanyuk’s funds and property. This is unsurprising, even relying solely on Serhiy Kyselyov’s assertion that the tax officer is the author of the scheme to steal value-added tax using the jewelry industry.

Crime and extortion

Atamanyuk’s entourage indicates that lately, he has been in active dialogue with representatives of the criminal world. According to some reports, he acts as an intermediary in resolving debt issues, according to others - he discusses topics of joint business.

Apparently, this friendship with the underworld resulted in a robbery attack on the home of businesswoman Olha Tkach, co-owner of expensive real estate on Khreshchatyk - the namesake gastronom. It was precisely Atamanyuk as the instigator of the attack on her that she pointed out to investigators.

Tkach had long had business relations with the top tax officer, but on the basis of debt obligations, they evolved from partnerships into hostile ones. According to the businesswoman, in October 2018, Atamanyuk threatened her with physical violence, and already on November 12, he fulfilled his promise. The attackers, masked and described by the victim as Caucasians, severely beat her and her husband. They used a hot iron in the torture, placing bags on their heads. They demanded a single thing - to repay the debts to Atamanyuk. The victims miraculously survived. The criminal case based on the attack on the Tkach family continues to be investigated to this day.

Unsolved murder

At the same time, in early March 2019, the "diamond" case took a drastic turn. The country was shocked by the news: the body of a businessman engaged in the production of jewelry... Serhiy Kyselyov was found in the Desnyanskyi district of the capital. He was shot dead in the cabin of his car. The very jeweler who had his property worth millions of dollars taken from him several years prior, whose persecution, according to him, was organized by Major General of the tax service Yuriy Atamanyuk...

Despite the widespread resonance, the case of the "diamond prosecutors" has yet to receive its judicial resolution. According to the same Kasko, he was forced to resign from his position, where he worked for about two years, due to the blocking of work. "Prosecutor General Viktor Shokin took all functions and tools from me. To lead and control cases, including the "diamond prosecutors" case. This is how Vladyslav Kasko described the reason for his resignation from the GPU. And now, after returning to the Prosecutor General’s premises, he apparently decided to give this investigation new life.

Concerning prominent ex-tax official Yuriy Atamanyuk, one wants to address Viktor Chumak, who was recently appointed as the chief military prosecutor: according to the VPU staff, your predecessor Anatoliy Matios "sold" the aforementioned case, involving Atamanyuk, for $3 million, to the figure involved in this case. For the triumph of justice, it is worth restoring the investigation, and if the guilt is proven, punishing the guilty.