Contents
In brief
In January 2024 the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) served Ihor Mazepa with a notice of suspicion of creating a criminal organisation and illegally seizing state land near the Kyiv hydroelectric power plant. Mazepa was detained at the Shehyni border checkpoint and released after the appeals court reduced his bail.
Editorial conclusion The statement “this is pressure on business” does not address the substance of the version about the illegal seizure of state land. Mazepa denies the allegations, but the fact of his public conflict with law enforcement is not in itself a refutation of the circumstances the investigators rely on. The reader needs an answer about the land and the legality of its acquisition. A debate only about persecution does not provide that answer. At the same time, it is the prosecution that must prove its version. A suspicion is not established guilt. According to Mazepa, in January 2025 the investigation was suspended but not closed; its further status is unknown.
Status
Pre-trial investigation, no verdict
Status as of
Pre-trial investigation; according to available information no indictment has been sent to court, and there is no verdict. According to Mazepa (21.01.2025), the investigation was suspended in connection with requests for international legal assistance. In the sources available to the editors, the status after 21.01.2025 has not been established.
| Amount | Nature | Date | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| more than UAH 20 million | Investigators' estimate | The investigators' estimate of the value of the 7-hectare plot [1] | |
| UAH 349 million | Bail | Alternative to detention set by the Pecherskyi District Court [2][3] | |
| UAH 21 million | Bail | Bail after the decision of the Kyiv Court of Appeal [3] |
Case passport
- Period
- 2024–2025 (the events the suspicion concerns are earlier)
- Jurisdiction
- Ukraine
- Case number
- Not established in available sources
- Participants
- Office of the Prosecutor General
- State Bureau of Investigation
- Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv
- Kyiv Court of Appeal
- Ihor Mazepa (suspect)
- Concorde Capital
- Status
- Pre-trial investigation, no verdict ·
What is established
- Media report
On 18.01.2024 Mazepa was detained at the Shehyni checkpoint while crossing the border into Poland; the detention was carried out under Article 208 of the Criminal Procedure Code. [1][2]
- Media report
On 19.01.2024 the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv ordered pre-trial detention with the alternative of bail of UAH 349 million. [2][3]
- Media report
On 23.01.2024 the Kyiv Court of Appeal reduced the bail to UAH 21 million; Mazepa was released the same day. [3]
- Media report
The initial pre-trial investigation period was due to expire on 28.08.2024; at the request of OPG prosecutors the Pecherskyi District Court extended it to allow additional land expert examinations (report of 08.10.2024). [2]
What the parties say
Office of the Prosecutor General, SBI
The investigators' version (OPG, SBI): Mazepa is suspected of creating and leading a criminal organisation, illegally seizing state land and laundering funds. The case concerns a plot of about 7 hectares in the Vyshhorod district between Khotianivka and Lebedivka worth more than UAH 20 million; the investigators link it to the facilities of the Kyiv HPP. Two former heads of the State Geocadastre in Kyiv region are charged with abuse of office. [1]
Ihor Mazepa
- Party's position
Mazepa said he did not understand the substance of the SBI's allegations and had never allocated any state land plots to anyone. He linked his detention to his stance against pressure on business and his involvement in the civic movement “Manifest 42”. [3]
Concorde Capital
- Party's position
Concorde Capital stated that the searches were carried out without court orders and called them pressure on business, linked to its founder's stance on law-enforcement pressure on entrepreneurs. [1]
Ihor Mazepa
- Party's position
In October 2024 Mazepa called the grounds for extending the deadlines unfounded and said that instead of completing the investigation, investigators had sent requests for international legal assistance to six countries. [2]
- Party's position
In January 2025 Mazepa stated that the SBI had neither closed the case nor brought evidence to court within the one-year period, but had suspended the investigation, citing international legal assistance. [4]
Timeline
Mazepa detained at the Shehyni checkpoint; searches [1]
The Pecherskyi court orders detention with the alternative of UAH 349 million bail [3]
The appeals court reduces bail to UAH 21 million; Mazepa is released [3]
The initial pre-trial investigation period expires [2]
Report that the Pecherskyi court has extended the investigation period [2]
Mazepa says the investigation has been suspended but not closed [4]
Documents and materials
- 1
Sets out the prosecution's version (according to the Prosecutor General's Office and the SBI) and Concorde Capital's statement about pressure on business.
https://lb.ua/society/2024/01/19/594483_biznesmena_mazepu_pidozryuyut.html
- 2
Extension of the pre-trial investigation period; Mazepa's position on it.
https://glavcom.ua/country/criminal/rozhljad-spravi-shchodo-mazepi-prodovzheno-biznesmen-zajaviv-shcho-pidstavi-dlja-tsoho-neobgruntovani-1024756.html
- 3
Ігор Мазепа вийшов з-під варти, раніше суд зменшив йому заставу до 21 млн грн (opens in a new tab)
Court decisions on bail and Mazepa's statement after his release.
https://forbes.ua/news/igor-mazepa-viyshov-iz-sizo-pid-zastavu-v-21-mln-grn-23012024-18728
- 4
Справу Мазепи поставили на паузу: з моменту гучного затримання пройшов рік (opens in a new tab)
The latest source available to the editors on the land case: according to Mazepa, the investigation has been suspended, not closed.
https://biz.liga.net/ua/all/all/novosti/spravu-mazepy-postavyly-na-pauzu-z-momentu-huchnoho-zatrymannia-proyshov-rik
What remains unknown
- The number of the criminal proceedings is not given in the available sources; the editors have not checked the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.
- Whether the investigation has resumed since January 2025, and whether legislative changes affected it, has not been established.
- The DW article of 25.01.2024 could not be accessed for automated verification; its content is not used.
- The conclusions of the land expert examinations the prosecution referred to have not been made public.
Related cases
Fatal road accident involving Mazepa: a person died, the proceedings were closed
A pedestrian died after being struck by a car driven by Mazepa. The police closed the proceedings because the act did not constitute a criminal offence. The editors have not seen the decision or the expert reasoning: the conclusion cannot be independently verified on the basis of these materials.
Questions about the grounds for closing the criminal proceedings
Change history
Last editorial check:
- — Editorial update: new title, card, summary and editorial conclusion.
- — First publication. Status after 21.01.2025 marked as not established.
There have been no material corrections.