Kyiv Real Estate Fraudster Escapes

Oleksandr Volkonskyi (Shahov), the organizer of the Kyiv Elita-Tsentr real estate scam, escaped from house arrest and was put on a wanted list, the victims’ lawyer Arter Sereda told Ukrayinska Pravda.

He suspects that Volkonskyi — a citizen of Russia — renewed his Russian passport and used it to flee to Russia. Sereda added that Volkonskyi has requested the court to change his 24/7 house arrest to overnight arrest so that he could renew his Russian passport. The court refused but the lawyer admits that Volkonskyi could visit the Russian Embassy on his way back home from court meetings.

Police discovered that the scammer was missing after he did not come to a regular court meeting. His electronic bracelet was found in his apartment. Volkonskyi had two weeks to escape since the last court meeting which he had attended, Sereda added.

The court released him from jail pursuant to ‘Savchenko law’ [Ed.: the law limiting the term of staying in pre-trial detention], as he spent 7.5 years in the pre-trial detention center (SIZO). So, he can’t be put under custody any more, the lawyer said.

The source in Prosecutor General’s Office confirmed to Ukrayinska Pravda that Volkonskyi had escaped. Podilskyi District Court in Kyiv put him on a wanted list on July 21. The next court meeting in this case is to take place on August 21.

According to the police, a total of 1,693 persons were scammed by Volkonskyi. They paid a total of over ₴383 million ($15.3 million) for housing that was never built.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda