Ex-Ukraine MP’s wife, Anastasia, was arrested smuggling $28 million and €1.3 million in cash via a refugee border crossing into Hungary on Monday.
Following Anastasia’s successful exit from Ukraine and passage through Hungarian customs, customs authorities allegedly discovered the money while conducting a normal investigation into what fleeing Ukrainian people were carrying with them while seeking safety in the neighboring country.
After it was discovered that Anastasia was attempting to smuggle that much money out of Ukraine and into Hungary, a criminal investigation into the former MP’s wife’s inability to properly justify the millions of dollars and euros was commenced.
Prior to Ihor Kotvitskyi’s social media post, he claimed that his wife was just departing their war-torn nation of Ukraine to give birth, while rejecting allegations that she was transporting $28 million and €1.3 million cash.
Ihor Kotvitskyi stated on his daughter Violetta‘s social media account that “all my money is in Ukrainian banks, I did not take anything out,” before alleging that the claims about his wife were “false and rumors.”
The social media account went offline shortly after that.
Even though it is a major concern why Anastasia did not declare the millions of dollars and euros before leaving Ukraine, it is also a major concern because the alleged incident occurs at a time when Ukraine is concerned that their country’s wealthiest citizens are attempting to flee the country by evading capital flight restrictions and taxes.
According to a tweet from Euan MacDonald, the editor-in-chief of the New Voice of Ukraine website, the woman’s husband, Ihor Kotvitskyi, has been accused of corruption in the past.
On Twitter, Turkish journalist Ahmet Yeşiltepe remarked, “Some are waiting to be rescued, while others are fleeing to other countries with millions of dollars.”
