Leonid Chernovetskyi
Leonid Mykhaylovych Chernovetskyi is a Ukrainian politician and former entrepreneur, who was Mayor of Kyiv from 2006 to 2012. He was a successful businessman, founder and controlling stakeholder of the Pravex Group and Pravex Bank, one of the largest banks in Ukraine. Since the appointment of Oleksandr Popov by President Viktor Yanukovych as Head of Kyiv City State Administration on 16 November 2010, Chernovetskyi was deprived of any real decision-making role in Kyiv. He tendered his resignation on 1 June 2012.
After this resignation Chernovetsky and his family moved to the Georgian town Kobuleti and he received Georgian citizenship.
Early life
Chernovetskyi quit school when he was 14 and went to work as a fitter at an aviation factory, but soon returned to resume his education, graduating from the Kharkiv public school #4. From 1970 until 1972, Chernovetsky served his military obligations. In 1977, he graduated from the Kharkiv Law School with specialization in jurisprudence. He worked as the senior detective in the prosecutor's office of Kyiv Oblast. In 1981, he returned to Kharkiv Law School attending aspirantura and obtained his doctorate in 1984 with a dissertation about Methods of investigation of plunders conducted by officials. Until 1989 he was a teacher at Kyiv University.Career
Soon after perestroika, he went into private business, becoming one of the earliest big businesspeople in Kyiv. He founded the Pravex Group. Later the banking division of the Pravex Group rose into the Pravex Bank - one of the largest banks in Ukraine, possessing a dense network of offices in Kyiv and other regions. In 2001, Chernovestkyi and his bank founded the "Kyiv Bank Union" banking association. Pravex Bank was sold in 2008 to Banca Intesa São Paulo for 509 million euros. Chernovetskyi has acknowledged giving millions in bribes during his days as a businessman.In 2012, Leonid Chernovetskiy founded the Chernovetskyi Investment Group, a venture capital group based in Kyiv. In 2015, the Chernovetskyi Investment Group made an investment of $1 million into Busfor, a Moscow-based online tour company.
On 18 August 2008 President Victor Yushchenko granted him the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, though it was harshly opposed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who urged to "stop granting decorations to corruptionists".
Chernovestkyi is a member of the Embassy of God, an evangelical church founded by Nigerian immigrant Sunday Adelaja. He is also a longtime philanthropist of Kyiv, caring for the city's old and poor.
In January 2009 Chernovitskyi bought FC Arsenal Kyiv for 1 Hryvnia from Ukrainian businessman Vadim Rabinovich.
In February 2009 he released a compact disc with "popular songs of the 1980s" sung by him.
In 2009 he became the man of the year according to Korrespondent magazine.
On 2 January 2013 Leonid Chernovetskiy founded Chernovetskyi Investment Group, investment potential of which exceeds 750 million dollars.
He is currently Honorary President of Chernovetskyi Investment Group.
Chernovetskyi was nicknamed "Cosmos" after he publicly announced that he intends to fly in outer space with his cat. However, that name got stuck with him later due to his non-ordinary administrative and political decisions and announcements that have been viewed as "bizarre". He has sung at rallies and offered to auction off his kisses. That behavior prompted some officials to call for a medical examination into whether he is mentally healthy to govern the city. In response, Chernovetsky posed, on 18 March 2009, in tight swimming trunks in front of scores of reporters to try to show he was both physically and mentally fit.
Chernovestkyi was the subject of several personal and political attacks when he took office as mayor of Kyiv. Some were critical about his lack of experience and his authoritarianism. Others considered him off-balance or speculated that he has drug or alcohol problems. However, none of these accusations have been proven to date.
Controversies
Pravex Bank, one of the largest retail banks of Ukraine formerly controlled by Chernovestkyi and his family, was rumoured to submit its new employees to a polygraph test and to use coercive methods to recover impaired loans. However, the Bank came out to be one of the most profitable financial institutions in Ukraine despite strong competition from foreign-owned banks.In 2003, Chernovestkyi made headlines for his links to the deaths of two pedestrians who had died on separate occasions after being run over at high speed by cars linked to Chernovetsky on the road leading to his mansion in the elite Koncha Zaspa residential neighborhood. Chernovetsky, who is a collector of expensive souped-up automobiles, was behind the wheel in the second incident; his wife was a passenger in the first. Neither Chernovetsky nor his driver has been found guilty of any wrongdoing in connection with the incidents.
On 16 February 2010 the Kyiv city administration denied reports that Chernovetskyi's daughter Khrystyna Chernovetska was robbed in France on 15 February 2010, after foreign media had reported that Chernovetska had €4.5 million worth of jewels stolen in Paris.
In April 2011, Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Chernovetskyi's son-in-law Viacheslav Suprunenko, a member of the Kyiv city council's Chernovetskyi Bloc faction. According to Kyiv Post, he was arrested in Italy in May 2011.
Chernovetskyi's son, Stepan was arrested in Barcelona in July 2016 on charges of money laundering and fraud despite his father's denials and threats of legal action against Spanish authorities. Leonid Chernovetskyi released a statement on his Facebook page announcing the release of his son in August 2016.
Political career
Chernovetskyi is the leader of the Christian Liberal Party of Ukraine. He joined the party in 1996 and was elected to the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, representing one of Kyiv's constituencies. He was reelected in 1998 and 2002. During his last term he was a member of the Committee of National Budget and head of the Committee for Budget Control and Spending. He also was a member of the Our Ukraine fraction in Parliament. In 1998-1999 Chernovestkyi was a co-chair, and in 1999-2000 the chair of the "For Beautiful Ukraine" party. From 1997 to 2001 he was a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the President of Ukraine.While being a member of Verhovna Rada Leonid Chernovetskyi advocated for citizens in disputes with officials of Kyiv City State Administration. During this time his office helped thousands of Kyiv citizens. In some cases he personally sought positive resolutions.
In 2003, he introduced a bill in parliament "On the protection of public morals", which governs the state regulation on the circulation of information and media products which negatively affect public morality. The law also imposed prohibition on the production and circulation of pornographic materials.
;2004 presidential elections
Chernovestkyi was a self-nominated candidate in the 2004 presidential election, believed to be one of the "technical candidates" whose actual purpose was to assist Viktor Yushchenko's struggle for the presidency by placing additional representatives in electoral commissions.
;2006 parliamentary and mayor elections
According to the Kyiv city election commission, Chernovetskyi garnered 32 percent of the vote to win the election for mayor of Kyiv. Vitali Klitschko placed second with 24 percent and incumbent Oleksandr Omelchenko placed third with 21 percent. Opponents say Chernovetskyi won because of a dirty campaign marred by bribing impoverished elderly voters with food; Chernovetsky has denied this. Chernovetskyi was also elected to the Verkhovna Rada in the list of the Our Ukraine Bloc, but had to reject the parliamentary seat.
In first year after the election victory Chernovetskyi increased Kyiv budget 5 times and developed anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco programs during his tenure as mayor.
;2008 snap Kyiv local election and political unrest
Leonid Chernovetskyi won another term as Mayor of Kyiv with 38% of the vote in the 25 May 2008 snap local election, called by the Verkhovna Rada in March 2008.
Former deputy head of Leonid Chernovetsky's Block Alla Shlapak highlighted Chernovetsky's support for aid programs for pensioners, teachers, medics and other groups. In 2010 he founded a charitable service “Social Patrol”, which was delivering warm clothes, food, medical assistance and advising to homeless people.
In 12 of April 2012, in Georgia L. Chernovetskiy established a charitable fund called “Social partnership”. The main projects of Social Partnership fund are: “Home care” ; “Family-type orphanage”; “Large family support”; “Gathering of clothes” ; “Food collecting program”.
After his resignation from the post of mayor he continued to engage in charitable work. According to his own statement, the former mayor donates not less than 1 million dollars to charity per year. In September 2013, he opened an orphanage in Georgia.
Leonid Chernoverskiy belongs remains active on social media, including Facebook, and has been known to organize contests to generate ideas to help resolve Ukrainian social and political crises, with cash prizes for winners.
Chernoverskiy did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election.
In December 2015 Chernoverskiy made an announcement of his intention to enter the political arena in Georgia in an interview with a Georgian media outlet, stating, “I decided to go into politics because I want to spend the last days of my life here, in Georgia. Georgia is my destiny!”.
Klychko - Chernovetsky stand-off
On 6 February 2009 the Vitaliy Klychko Bloc stated it will apply to the Verkhovna Rada, the Cabinet of Ministers, the National Security and Defense Council, and the Kyiv prosecutor's office with a request to take into consideration the unlawfulness of Kyiv Mayor Leonid Chernovetskyi's actions and to call early mayoral elections in the city. Earlier on 12 December 2008 Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko also hinted that new early mayoral elections should be held again in Kyiv. This was based on Tymoshenko's disapprove of the handling of Chernovetskyi of the local energy crises of December 2008 when the Kyivenergo utility company began cutting the supply of hot water to about 5,000 homes in Kyiv because of the Kyiv municipal administration's failure to compensate the company for the difference between the tariffs charged by Kyivenerho and the actual cost of its services, with Tymoshenko alleging that the difference was siphoned off to fund Chernovetskyi's election campaign.In May 2008, preliminary results showed Leonid Chernovetsky as clear leader ahead of Aleksandr Turchinov, a member of Ukraine Prime Minister Yulia Timoshenko's Bloc and Vitaly Klychko.
Within a year, Chernovetskyi's popularity was waning among the residents of Kyiv. On 13 March 2009 a temporary committee of the Verkhovna Rada for investigating the Kyiv city state administration and the Kyiv city council came to the conclusion that it was necessary to examine the mental and physical state of Chernovetskyi, however, the procedure could be performed against his will only under a court ruling.
in May 2009, Klychko threatened to sue Chernovetsky for claims he demanded two hectares of land on which to erect a boxing club. In 2011, the feud continued with Klychko alleging that Chernovetsky was responsible for the theft of 70 billion hryvni. Chernovetsy responded with intent to counter sue.
;Yanukovych presidency
Chernovetskyi announced in March 2009 he would participate in the 2010 Ukrainian presidential election. But did not do so.
A March 2010 poll indicated that a large majority of Kyiv residents were unhappy with his work and would like the mayor to resign without delays. On 15 November 2010 President Viktor Yanukovych dismissed Leonid Chernovetskyi from the post of Head of the Kyiv's State Administration and appointed Oleksandr Popov to this post. Popov is seen as Chernovetsky's replacement since he was not elected but appointed by President Viktor Yanukovich. The appointment was made possible by the Ukraine's national parliament which had amended the law on “the capital of Ukraine – hero city of Kyiv” on 7 September 2010, making it possible for the President to appoint the chairman of the city administration at his discretion. Another presidential decree relieved Chernovitsky of the office "head of the Kyiv State Administration", while still preserving the post of Kyiv mayor.
Popov stated early 2011 "we've definitely limited the activity of the city council and the mayor to some extent". In November 2010 Prime Minister Mykola Azarov compared Chernovetsky to the Queen of the United Kingdom, saying he had a title but no official decision-making role. The Azarov Government then opened several investigations into the allegedly illegal sale of city land and property by Chernovetsky's top officials and then sales of those lands to friends and their companies. By then Chernovetsky was not to be seen in Kyiv and rumors appeared he was in "quasi-retirement" in Switzerland, was seeking political asylum in Israel or that he had secretly tendered his resignation. In a pressconference on 28 January 2011 Prime Minister Azarov asked Popov “to find by all means” Chernovetsky "to bring him back to the work". According to UNIAN Azarov "could not suppress a laugh" when asked about Chernovetsky. Popov has stated he last met with the mayor toward the end of 2010. Chernovetsky's spokeswoman Marta Hrymska told The Associated Press on 8 February 2011 in a phone text message that the mayor resumed duties after a vacation in Georgia. Commentators suggested that by failing to fulfill his duties, Chernovetsky was trying to force President Yanukovich to stop the investigations into his close aides and that Yanukovych was reluctant to see Chernovetsky go just yet and share power with a new mayor, because his protégé Popov, was unlikely to get elected. On 24 February 2011 Chernovetskyi did attend a meeting of the Kyiv City Council.
On 3 August 2011 it was reported that Chernovetskyi has secretly left Ukraine and moved to Israel. According to Agence France Press, he was discovered by a crew of Ukrainian television channel 1+1 in an apartment in Tel Aviv. In a brief statement, Chernovetskyi, who was surprised they had found him, called it "an unofficial holiday". It had been reported earlier, that he has held Israeli citizenship since 1994, having run for president and for Kyiv mayor while holding dual Israeli and Ukrainian citizenships in violation of Ukrainian law, which does not allow its citizens to hold dual citizenship.
In February 2012 Chernovetskyi stated he will not run for re-election.
Chernovetsky tendered his resignation on 1 June 2012. The city council accepted the early termination of office on 12 July 2012. The city council decided the same day that Halyna Hereha would temporarily act as the mayor of the capital city. Kyiv then did not have an elected mayor until mayor Vitali Klitschko was sworn in on 5 June 2014.
After the resignation of mayor Leonid Chernovetskiy continued to engage actively in charity. Ex-mayor is spending at least $1 million a year for charity according to his own statement. In September 2013 he opened children's home in Georgia.