Fictitious divorce as a way to save assets: how the wanted Odesa deputy Matvyeyev "got rid of" million-dollar assets

Fictitious divorce as a way to save assets: how the wanted Odesa deputy Matvyeyev "got rid of" million-dollar assets

Odesa deputy from the «Trust Deeds» party, Oleksandr Matvyeyev, who has been wanted since June 2024, is likely trying to hide his property through a fictitious divorce.

Prosecutors consider Matvyeyev the organizer of a corruption scheme as a result of which the territorial community of Odesa lost municipal real estate worth more than 11 million hryvnias. He is accused of illegally seizing municipal property objects through controlled companies and straw persons.

In July 2024, Matvyeyev was detained in Greece but later released. Currently, the procedure for his extradition to Ukraine is ongoing.

In the 2023 declaration, when the couple was still officially married, Matvyeyev and his wife Tetyana declared significant property: an apartment in Odesa of almost 50 sq.m, a house of 185 sq.m, a land plot of 175 sq.m, another apartment of almost 160 sq.m, non-residential premises, two garages, an office-store, and real estate in Spain purchased in 2021 for more than 40 million hryvnias.

The family also used a house of 364.5 sq.m and a land plot through PE «Land Property», owned by daughter Nataliya Matvyeyeva, on gratuitous use terms. They used the office-store through a sublease from LLC «Daliks-O LTD», a co-founder of which is also daughter Nataliya.

Separately mentioned is an elite apartment in the «Graf» residential complex on Morska Street, 8a, of almost 215 sq.m. Initially, it was registered to PE «Like View», founded by Tetyana Matvyeyeva, and later re-registered to the Moldovan company Steaua Impex and Moldovan citizen Serhiy Samoylenko.

In 2022, Matvyeyev received a loan of 200 thousand euros from his probable brother Serhiy Matvyeyev, who, according to the investigation, had no confirmed income for such an amount.

In April 2024, Tetyana Matvyeyeva filed a lawsuit with the Ovidiopol District Court for divorce and recognition of property ownership rights. The divorce was officially registered in August 2024. The court recognized Tetyana’s ownership of three apartments, an office-store of 175.7 sq.m, two parking spaces, a dacha house, a non-residential premises of 42.4 sq.m, a land plot, and a Toyota Land Cruiser (2018) vehicle.

After the divorce, Oleksandr Matvyeyev’s declarations changed sharply. In 2024, he still listed Spanish real estate, a 50 sq.m apartment, 30 thousand euros in cash, and a small amount in a Spanish bank account. In the 2024 declaration, even the 50 sq.m apartment disappeared. Only 20 thousand euros in cash and about 700 euros in the account remained. He declared no income in 2024. Recall that he also faces suspicion for illegal enrichment.