Kostyantyn Zhevago

Kostyantyn Valentynovych Zhevago (Костянтин Валентинович Жеваго, Константин Валентинович Жеваго; born 7 January 1974) is a Ukrainian billionaire entrepreneur. He was the first Eastern European to present one of his companies — Ferrexpo to the London Stock Exchange. Zhevago controls the "Finances and Credit" group — one of largest conglomerates of Ukraine; holds a post of FC Vorskla honorary president. He was a member of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine) from 1998 until 2019.

Early life and career
Kostyantyn Valentynovych Zhevago was born on 7 January 1974 in the village of Iultin, in Russia's far eastern Magadan Oblast, into the family of a mining engineer.

In 1991, Zhevago entered the Kyiv National Economic University, specialising in accounting and analysis of external economic activity. In 1996, he graduated with a master's degree in economics, and in 2003 he defended his candidate's dissertation on "International investments and effective economic development" at the Kyiv National Economic University.

Business
While studying, Zhevago began a career in the position of "Finance and Credit" chief financial officer (ЗАТ "Фінанси та Кредит", ЗАО "Финансы и Кредит"), holding this post from 1993 to 1996. From 1996 to 1998 he holds posts of "Finances and Credit" president, public corporation "Poltava ore-dressing and processing enterprise" (ВАТ «Полтавський ГЗК», ОАО «Полтавский ГОК») council deputy and is member of public corporation "Ukrnafta" (ВАТ «Укрна́фта», ОАО «Укрна́фта») supervisory board.

Kostyantin Zhevago, 35-year-old investor, was the first of the Ukrainian multimillionaires to present one of his companies — Ferrexpo to the London Stock Exchange. In autumn 2007 Ferrexpo was added to the FTSE 250 Index.

Forbes magazine named Kostyantin Zhevago the youngest billionaire in Europe, who made his fortune by himself. His bank "Finances and Credit" was one of the TOP-10 largest Ukrainian banks with hundreds of branches across Ukraine. He controls developed and successful enterprises in mining and metallurgical, shipbuilding, engineering, heavy car production, pharmacology and food industries in Ukraine and countries of Western Europe and Middle East. Owns the football team of Ukrainian Premier League FC Vorskla Poltava.

Political activity
In Ukraine, Zhevago is active in politics. In March 1998, he was first elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from Ukraine's 149th electoral district, located in Poltava Oblast. June 1998 — Zhevago Kostyantin is a member of parliament committee of questions of economic policy, state economy management, property and investments. In April 2002, he was re-elected, this time in Ukraine's 150th electoral district (also in Poltava Oblast]]. From June 2002, he was a member of the Verkhovna Rada Legal Committee and a member of the Verkhovna Rada (parliament of Ukraine)'s permanent delegation in PACE.

From May 2006 to April 2007, Zhevago was a People's Deputy of Ukraine from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. In 2007, Zhevago was re-elected as a People's Deputy of Ukraine from the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc. Leader of deputy group of inter-parliamentary connections with Japan. He missed all 51 parliament sessions in 2010.

Zhevago returned to the Verkhovna Rada once again after the 2012 Ukrainian parliamentary election, winning with more than 60% as an independent candidate in the re-established 150th district. The successors of the Yulia Tymoshenko Bloc, Batkivshchyna, did not have its own candidate in this district. Zhevago did not join a faction in the Verkhovna Rada.

In the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election Zhevago was re-elected into parliament again as an independent in the 150th district, this time with 43.81% of the votes. He again did not join a faction.

In the 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Zhevago failed to regain his seat, concluding his twenty-one year career as a People's Deputy. He lost the election in the 150th district with 24.9% of the vote. The winning candidate was Oleksiy Movchan from the Servant of the People party, who won with 41% of the vote.

Controlled assets
"Finances and Credit" group is to one of the largest Ukrainian conglomerates. It includes enterprises in the fields of metallurgy, ferrous deposits and ferromagnetic ore, engineering, transport, pharmaceutics, shipbuilding, energetics.

"Finances and Credit" bank was founded in 1990 and by the size of assets it was considered one of the largest banks of Ukraine according to classification of National Bank of Ukraine. By 1 April 2009 the authorized capital stock of the bank made ₴2 billion, net wealth made ₴18,316 billion, bank liabilities — ₴15,840 billion. The loan portfolio made ₴15,880 billion, loan portfolio of natural person — bank clients — ₴5,983 billion. By 1 April 2009 the bank system included 16 branches and 326 departments in all areas of Ukraine. The basic shareholders of "Finances and Credit" bank on 01.04.2009 were the close corporation "F&C Realty" (46.67%), LTD "Askaniya" (48.88%) and the state-run Naftogaz (0.63%). According to the Ukrainian Bank Association data, by 1 April 2009 the bank occupied the 13th place among 162 operating in the country. On 17 December 2016 the National Bank of Ukraine withdrew the banking license of Finance and Credit and liquidated the bank.

"Finances and Credit" group companies
«Omega» insurance company
 * Insurance and finances

Joint-stock company «F&C Realty», Hotel «Salute» Kyiv, Terminal in the seaport "Southern" (Odesa), Institute «Kyivsoyuzdorproekt»
 * Real estate

Joint-stock company “Biloterkovna teploelektrotsentral”, Ukrenerhosbyt, Odesaoblenerho, Ukrainian-German «Mega-motors», Luhanskoblenerho
 * Energetics

Joint-stock company «Rosava», joint-stock company “Kremenchug factory of technical carbon”, Stakhanov factory of technical carbon, LTD. “Ukrtekhuglerod”, Zatisnyansk chemical factory
 * Chemistry

AvtoKrAZ, Uzhhorod «Turbogaz», Kharkiv instrumental factory, Stakhanov carriage works, Berdychiv machine-shop «Progress», Poltava machine unit factory
 * Engineering

Zaliv Shipbuilding yard, “Kyiv shipbuilding and reconstruction factory”
 * Shipbuilding

Poltava GOK (iron-stone, pellet), Skopski Legury (ferro-alloys), Ferreekspo (Switzerland), Electrometallurgical plant «Vorskla Steel» (in the process of building), Electrometallurgical factory «Vorskla steel Denmark»
 * Metallurgy and Resources

Joint-stock companies “Kyivmedpreparat”, “Gemoplast”, “Halychfarm”.
 * Pharmacology

Private Joint-stock Company Kremenchukmyaso
 * Food industry

Wealth
According to Forbes, he is Ukraine's youngest billionaire. In March 2012 Forbes placed him on the Forbes list of billionaires at the 719th place with $1.8 billion.

In August 2022, he acquired the Hôtel de Jarnac, a $39 million mansion in Paris that was originally built at the end of the 18th century for a contractor of the king's buildings.

Criminal proceedings
In September 2019, criminal proceedings were opened against Zhevago regarding his possible involvement in embezzlement of ₴2.5 billion. The State Bureau of Investigation summoned Konstantin for questioning on 27 September 2019. According to the inspection data of the Individual Deposit Guarantee Fund, Zhevago and another top manager of the Finance and Credit bank issued several deliberately bad loans in the amount of almost ₴5 billion in order to get hold of the money.

According to the investigation, in 2007-2014, the offshore company opened several credit lines in foreign banks. Pledge agreements in the amount of $113 million were concluded between the Finance and Credit bank and foreign banks. The Ukrainian bank vouched for the offshore company with its own funds on accounts in foreign creditor banks. In 2015, foreign banks charged $113 million from the accounts of the Finance and Credit bank for non-fulfillment of obligations by the offshore company under contracts. The collateral was written off when the bank Finance and Credit was declared insolvent.

After 3.5 years of trial, on 2 October 2019, the Shevchenko Court of Kyiv ordered to collect ₴1.5 billion from Zhevago in favor of the National Bank of Ukraine. The decision explains that Kostyantyn did not want to fulfill his obligations under the surety agreement to repay the bank's refinancing loans.

On 3 December, Zhevago was declared an international wanted man and permission was granted for his detention. On 13 December, the Kyiv Court of Appeal returned Zhevago's appeal without consideration due to non-payment of the court fee within the specified time frame, after which the court's decision on compulsory collection entered into force.

On 26 December of the same year, forced collection of ₴1.54 billion began.

On 15 July 2021, Interpol placed Zhevago on an international wanted list in the case of embezzlement of $113 million.

On 27 or 28 December 2022, Zhevago was arrested in Courchevel, France at the request of Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation. Assets belonging to Zhevago have also been seized, including assets of Ferrexpo. The investigation relates to Finance and Credit bank.

On 29 December 2022, the French court of Chambéry ordered the extradition arrest of Zhevago, he was notified of the suspicion of committing criminal offenses provided for in Part 3 of Art. 27, Part 5 of Art. 191, Part 3 of Art. 209 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Some top managers of the Bank "Finance and Credit" are also suspected.

In January 2023 the court case began relating to the alleged fraud of Hr.46 billion ($1.25 billion) of depositors’ money held by Finance and Credit, owned by Zhevago, which collapsed in 2016. Companies linked to Zhevago having borrowed large sums from Finance and Credit shortly before its collapse.

Zhevago has been named as the party who allegedly bribed the President of the Ukraine Supreme Court Vsevolod Kniaziev in 2023.

On 10 November 2023, the Court of Cassation (the Supreme Court of France) ruled that Zhevago should not be extradited to Ukraine. The court verdict read: "the applicant state (Ukraine) is unable to guarantee that Mr. Zhevago will be tried by a court that can provide basic procedural guarantees and protection of defense rights."