Chronology of the case of Pavlo Lazarenko

Political life

1992-1995: Lazarenko worked as Governor and Presidential representative in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast under President Leonid Kravchuk (first president of independent Ukraine from December 1991 to July 1994) and later President Leonid Kuchma.

1995, September: President Kuchma appoint Mr. Lazarenko as First Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine. 

1996, May 26: Lazarenko appointed Prime Minister of Ukraine.

1996, November 14: President Kuchma awarded Prime Minister Lazarenko the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, one of Ukraine's highest honors.

1997, July 2: Lazarenko resigned on his own initiative (under pressure). By mid-1997, Mr Lazarenko had fallen out of favor with President Kuchma and was suspected of making plans to run for the presidency in 1999.

1998, March: Lazarenko elected to the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament).

1998, December 2: Lazarenko detained on money-laundering charges as he crossed by car from France into Switzerland on a Panamanian passport. Details of his arrest in Switzerland caused political scandal in Ukraine, which does not recognize dual citizenship.

1998, December 4: Lazarenko was formally arrested by Swiss authorities for money laundering in criminal case No. P/2489/98, which was investigated in Geneva.

1998-99: Lazarenko started campaigning for the 1999 presidential elections. This prompted the authorities to institute the corruption charges that led parliament to strip him of his immunity.

1999, February 17: Parliament stripped Lazarenko of parliamentary immunity. Lazarenko managed to leave Ukraine,  "for medical treatment" just a day before, probably on the behest of the authorities reluctant to arrest and place Lazarenko on trial to avoid reveal of incriminating information about other persons who benefited from his alleged corrupt activities as prime minister.

1999, February 18: Lazarenko stops in Athens, Greece before fleeing to USA. 

1999, February 20: Lazarenko is detained in the New York JFK airport on suspicion of illegally entering the United States. Beginning of US investigation into Lazarenko. 

Corruption allegations

1996/7: Lazarenko reportedly exercised control over many lucrative business projects and charged 50 percent of profits for his patronage.

Between 1996 and 1997: Somolli Enterprises transferred the following sums:

• Approximately $50 million to account No. 024/10/61310/00 at AmerBank in Poland in the name of "ORPHIN, S.a.";
• Approximately $14 million to account No. 5451 in the name of "WILNORTH";
• approximately $23 million to account No. 21383 at Banque Populaire Suisse in the name of "ORPHIN, S.a."; and
• Approximately $14 million to European Federal Credit Bank correspondent account No. 1150-645039 at Pacific Bank in San Francisco for credit to account No. 151897 in the name of "ORPHIN, S.a."
• All these accounts were controlled by Peter Kirichenko. The money was then transferred to accounts controlled by Mr. Lazarenko, including account No. 08-05785-3 in the name of "KATO-82" at Credit Lyonnais in Zurich, Switzerland; account No. 5353 in the name of "CARPO-53" at Bank SCS Alliance in Geneva, Switzerland; and to accounts at European Federal Credit Bank, among other accounts. http://www.ukrweekly.com/old/archive/2002/080205.shtml

2004, May: Federal jury in San Francisco found Lazarenko guilty of conspiracy, money laundering, and wire fraud and abuse or using his position to get rich using state resources between 1994 and 1997. The specifics of the charges were: 

• Conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h),
• Conducting financial transactions that involved the proceeds of extortion, wire fraud, and receipt and transfer of property that was stolen.
• Money laundering in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(a)(2). The indictment specifically identified four wire transfers from Kiritchenko's ABS Trading account in San Francisco to Lazarenko's account in Geneva, Switzerland in 1994 and early 1995.
• Unlawful receipt and transfer of property that was "stolen, unlawfully converted, and taken by fraud," in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 2314 and 2315;
• wire fraud in violation of 18 U.S.C. §§ 1343 and 1346. Specifically, he was charged with honest services fraud against the people of Ukraine for obtaining ownership interests in Agrosnabsbyt, Dneproneft, and GHP, using his authority and influence to grant these companies privileges, and receiving money from these businesses by wire transfers in 1997 and 1998.
• Transportation of stolen property in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 2314. The indictment identified a wire transfer in 1994 and several others in 1997 and 1998.

2004, June - 2006, August: Lazarenko remained under house arrest at an undisclosed location on $86 million bail.

2006, August 25: Lazarenko sentenced to 9 years jail term and fine of USD 10 million.

2006, October 18: Lazarenko appealed against his conviction and sentence.

2008, June 9: Appellate judge upheld 8 counts while dropping other 6 counts. Counts upheld are: one count on conspiracy and seven counts on money laundering. The six counts dropped included five counts on wire fraud and one count on interstate transportation of stolen property. The court decided to vacate the sentence and remanded him for resentencing on the 8 counts that were upheld (Ruling by Judge McKeown).

2008, September: Lazarenko's attorney announces that his client might appeal ruling up to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Other court cases

2000, June: Lazarenko convicted in Switzerland in absentia.  A court in Geneva found him guilty in absentia of laundering $6.6m (£3.5m) through Swiss banks. He was given an 18-month suspended sentence and $6.5m (£3.4) was confiscated from his Swiss accounts. 1

2000: Ukrainian authorities requested Lazarenko's extradition from USA after charging him with the murder of Yevhen Shcherban in 1996 and Vadym Hetman in 1998.