Gennadiy Trukhanov
Геннадій Труханов
Gennadiy Trukhanov in 2017
Mayor of Odesa
Assumed office
27 May 2014
Preceded byOleg Bryndak (acting)
Personal details
Born (1965-01-17) 17 January 1965
Odesa, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union (now Ukraine)
Political partyTrust the Deeds
Other political
affiliations

Gennadiy Leonidovich Trukhanov[lower-alpha 1] (born 17 January 1965) is the mayor of Odesa. He has been named as part of a Ukrainian crime syndicate who laundered money through London by buying multi-million pound properties in the city.[1] In October 2022 he was charged in an ongoing corruption investigation concerning $18.5 million in municipal losses,[2] and on 4 May 2023 he was detained on charges of embezzling $2.5 million in city funds.[3] He was released the next day after paying $350,000 bail.[4]

Early life and career

Gennadiy Trukhanov was born on 17 January 1965 in Odesa, which was then in the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic, a part of the Soviet Union. In 1986, he graduated from the Frunze Artillery School in Odesa. After graduation, he was given the rank of lieutenant. He was an engineer that specialised in repairing and maintaining artillery. From 1986 until 1992, he served in the North Caucasus Military District. He retired from Armed Forces in 1992, after having attained the rank of captain.

In 1993, he worked at a private security firm. In 2000, he worked at Lukoil. He started work at the office of Verkhovna Rada, (the parliament of Ukraine) in 2004. He was elected to Odesa City Council in 2005, and was re-elected in 2006.[5] He served on various committees in the Odesa City Council.

Member of the Verkhovna Rada

Trukhanov as Member of the Verkhovna Rada

He was elected to the Verkhovna Rada as a representative of the Party of Regions in 2012.[6] Amidst rising unrest in Ukraine in the aftermath of the 2014 Ukrainian revolution and the violent 2014 Odesa clashes, he was elected mayor of the city on 25 May 2014.[5]

Mayor of Odesa

In the 2015 Mayoral election of Odesa Trukhanov was reelected in the first round of the election with 52.9% of the vote.[7]

In 2016, the leaked Panama Papers revealed that Trukhanov is a Russian citizen, despite Ukrainian law banning dual citizenship.[8] Trukhanov denied the allegation.[9] The Panama Papers also show that he has "a substantial business empire in Ukraine through companies registered in the British Virgin Islands", with a suburb of Moscow listed as his place of residence.[10] On 9 April, Eduard Gurwits, ex-mayor of Odesa, affirmed that Trukhanov possesses three foreign passports: two Russian and one Greek.[11] Trukhanov in 2017, through a Russian court, annulled his Russian passport.[12] Moreover, the Paradise papers indicate that, according to the Italian state police Deputy Commissioner, he trained members of a Ukrainian criminal gang in "hand-to-hand combat and sniper shooting with high precision weapons".[13]

Trukhanov was detained at Ukraine's Boryspil International Airport on 14 February 2018 suspected of embezzlement of property through abuse of power.[14]

In the July 2019 Ukrainian parliamentary election Trukhanov was placed in the top ten of the party list of Opposition Bloc.[15] But the nationwide list of this party won 3.23% of the votes and thus did not overcome the 5% election barrier, keeping Trukhanov out of parliament.[16]

In the 2020 Odesa local election Trukhanov was again a candidate for mayor of Odesa (nominated by Trust Deeds).[17] Trukhanov defeated Mykola Skoryk of Opposition Platform — For Life in the second round of the mayoral election on 15 November 2020, 54.28% of the voters voted for him.[18]

In May 2023, Trukhanov was again taken into custody under corruption charges and after failing to present US$800,000 in bail.[19]

Notes

  1. ↑ Most commonly transliterated from Russian: Геннадий Леонидович Труханов, also known as Hennadii Leonidovych Trukhanov, Ukrainian: Геннадій Леонідович Труханов

References

  1. ↑ "Paradise Papers: Ukraine crime gang hid proceeds in luxury London flats". BBC News. 24 April 2018.
  2. ↑ "As Russia bombards Odesa, Soviet-friendly mayor rebrands as patriot". Kyiv Independent. 17 May 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Odesa Mayor detained over embezzlement charges". Kyiv Independent. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 4 May 2023.
  4. ↑ "Media: Odesa Mayor released on bail after 1-day detention". 5 May 2023.
  5. 1 2 "Odessa City Mayor". Official Site of Odessa. Odessa City Council. Archived from the original on 14 August 2009. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  6. ↑ "Election Results 2012 Parliamentary Election". Ukraine. Retrieved 25 July 2014.
  7. ↑ "Incumbent Odesa Mayor Trukhanov declared winner in Sunday mayoral election". Interfax-Ukraine. 28 October 2015. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  8. ↑ "Hromadske TV: Secret business assets of Odesa mayor Trukhanov". Kyiv Post. 4 April 2016.
  9. ↑ "Truhanov denies knowledge of citizenship". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 4 April 2016.
  10. ↑ Gnap, Dmytro (27 May 2016). "Odesa mayor hides construction business offshore". OCCRP.
  11. ↑ "Ex-mayor of Odesa says Trukhanov has one Greek, two Russian passports". KyivPost. 9 April 2016.
  12. ↑ "Trukhanov in 2017 annulled his Russian passport through the court". Ukrayinska Pravda (in Ukrainian). 14 February 2019.
  13. ↑ BBC News (23 April 2018). "Paradise Papers: Ukraine crime gang hid proceeds in luxury London flats". BBC News.
  14. ↑ "Odesa Mayor Trukhanov freed against MP Golubov's guarantees". UNIAN. 15 February 2018. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
  15. ↑ "Вибори Ради: у списку Опоблоку мери 5 міст".
  16. ↑ "Новинський і ще 5 "опоблоківців" проходять у Раду, а Колесніков – ні".
  17. ↑ (in Ukrainian) In Odesa, 2 Zelensky, 5 Filimonov and Saakashvili will compete for the mayor's seat, Ukrayinska Pravda (30 September 2020)
  18. ↑ (in Ukrainian) Trukhanov officially won the mayoral election in Odesa, The Ukrainian Week (17 November 2020)}}
  19. ↑ "Mayor of Odesa Gennadiy Trukhanov Arrested in Connection with Embezzlement Charges". Kyiv Post. 4 May 2023. Retrieved 15 June 2023.
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