Nikonov denies "apartment gratitudes" to Komarnytskyi and hints at Chernovetskyi’s trace

Nikonov denies "apartment gratitudes" to Komarnytskyi and hints at Chernovetskyi’s trace

The head of KAN Development asserts that no bribes or rewards were given to the former Kyiv City Council deputy, but he hinted that this could have been done by the son of the former mayor, for whom he was building residential complexes.

According to Informator.

Founder of KAN Development, Ihor Nikonov, states that he has no connection to the construction of apartments in Kyiv that were being handled by businessman and former politician Denys Komarnytskyi and his wife. The matter concerns an ongoing investigation showing that in 2016-2018, the former "overseer" of Kyiv’s construction and permit sectors allegedly received 110 apartments as a "thank you" for his services in residential complexes built by Nikonov’s KAN Development. The company’s owner points to the son of the former Kyiv mayor, Stepan Chernovetskyi, as the one who allegedly financed the construction work.

Ihor Nikonov shared his version of events in a commentary to the publication "Ukrainska Pravda". He emphasizes that he is not involved in the construction of apartments in Kyiv that were being handled by businessman and former politician Denys Komarnytskyi and his wife. Instead, he noted that the owners of the land plots, on which the mentioned residential complexes were constructed, were companies of Stepan Chernovetskyi. It was Chernovetskyi’s funds that financed the construction and managed the assets. KAN Development by Nikonov acted solely as the developer (that is, the actual builder).

"In one project, we had no ownership, in two others we had 50%. The sale of Komarnytskyi’s apartments did not occur from our fund, we had nothing to do with it at all," Nikonov said in a commentary.

Furthermore, Nikonov explained that in 2016-2018, Komarnytskyi did not have such significant influence on city processes "to be given bribes with apartments". He contrasted this with two periods – from 2006 to 2010 (when Denys Komarnytskyi was a Kyiv City Council member and headed the Leonid Chernovetskyi Bloc faction) and also 2019-2024 when he became de facto the "overseer" for city development, Kyiv’s land resources, and construction permits.

Nikonov assumed that Komarnytskyi might have signed an investment agreement with Chernovetskyi’s companies for the guaranteed purchase of a certain number of apartments at a fixed price at the investor’s request. In their subsequent resale, the developer believes, a profit was formed for the former Kyiv City Council deputy — and there is nothing illegal about this.