Ex-head of Mriya agroholding believes case against him is political

The co-owner and former director general of Mriya agroholding, Mykola Huta, who has been placed on the Interpol wanted list, believes the case against him is political.

"We clearly understand that there is political implication and elements of political takeover in the case," he said in an interview with the Forbes Ukraine publication.

He said that state agencies have been used to put pressure on the company.

Huta said that before the end of 2014 he met with representatives of banks and had a short vacation over Christmas. He said that he has never visited any law-enforcement agencies, has not received any subpoenas and was informed about everything by newspapers. Huta is now no longer in Ukraine. He decided not to return to Kyiv and his lawyer has not defined his next step.

"My last public meeting with representatives of Ukrainian and foreign banks was held on December 16, 2014," he said.

He confirmed that on December 16, 2014 law enforcement agencies conducted a search at the company’s Kyiv office.

"There are many persons who are interested in these assets. That's why we see attempts of financial and political takeover. These are speculations aimed at swinging the situation to use aggressive methods," he said.

He said in the interview that the situation could bring personal benefit to certain entities and persons. It has given a chance to one group of investors to settle related issues quickly, although this will complicate the satisfaction of the liabilities of another group of creditors.

Huta also said that the company's managers continue to fulfill their functions.