Cyprus blocked the extradition of former Ukrainian Energy Minister Volodymyr Demchyshyn after determining the request was politically motivated, the Justice Ministry told Phileleftheros.
The 51-year-old former official, who now lives in Cyprus, has been subject to an international arrest warrant since 2022 over allegations of illegally procuring coal from eastern Ukraine and funding Russian separatist organisations, according to Ukrainian media reports.
The extradition process halted following legal advice obtained in early 2023. “The reason the exception was decided is because the Law Office considered Ukraine’s motives to be political, so the procedure did not proceed,” the Justice Ministry said.
Demchyshyn served as Minister of Energy and Coal Industry in Ukraine’s second Arseniy Yatsenyuk government from 2014 to 2016. Ukrainian media reports claim he is wanted internationally in connection with coal procurement from occupied territories in eastern Ukraine during 2014-2015 and assisting pro-Russian terrorist organisations in temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk.
Cypriot police confirmed the international arrest warrant but referred to the Law Office’s opinion, which stopped the extradition under an exception provided in legislation ratifying the European Convention on Extradition.
The case gained international attention after Demchyshyn reported an attempted kidnapping outside his home in the Oroklini tourist area last Thursday.
Larnaca CID continues to search for two suspects who remain missing, with investigators examining whether they crossed into occupied territories. The wanted men are Athos Kotsonos, 42, from Larnaca, and Dmitry Abramov, 44, from Russia. Police sources indicate the kidnapping attempt appears linked to financial disputes.
Demchyshyn told police that three unknown individuals tried to force him into a commercial vehicle on Thursday afternoon. According to his statement, he was at home with his 36-year-old partner and her 72-year-old father when they noticed a van parked nearby.
The vehicle raised suspicions, prompting Demchyshyn and the 72-year-old to approach it. As they drew closer, three masked men allegedly attacked them. The two men fought back, causing the attackers to flee on foot and abandon the commercial vehicle.
Police are examining the abandoned van, a pistol with an empty magazine, a wig, and other evidence.
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