Valeriy Khoroshkovsky
Encyclopedia
Valeriy Ivanovych Khoroshkovsky ' onMouseout='HidePop("41028")' href="/topics/Kiev">Kiev
) is a Ukrainian
businessman, head of the Security Service of Ukraine and owner of U.A. Inter Media Group which owns majority shares in various Ukrainian TV channels such as Inter TV. According to Ukrainian and East European media Khoroshkovsky is one of Ukraine's richest people.
While being in public office Khoroshkovsky had large stakes in various Ukrainian media and metallurgy industries. In 2006 Khoroshkovsky stated: "I owned mid-sized businesses that had no kind of political influence. I cannot say I gained something for my business thanks to politics or that I had any political advantages thanks to business”.
for an estimated $200 million.
After Khoroshkovsky's resignation as Economics Minister in January 2004 he was appointed vice president of steel giant Evraz, becoming its head in April 2006 either because of his connections or his 13-year friendship with Alexander Abramov
. In December 2006 Khoroshkovsky resigned as Chief Executive Officer of Evraz because of his appointment as the First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
.
In 2005 Khoroshkovsky paid about $250 million for a 61% stake in Inter TV, one of Ukraine's biggest television channels. In June 2007 he expanded his U.A. Inter Media Group Ltd with various other channels bought from Dmytro Firtash
. After Khoroshkovsky was appointed as Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine in December 2007 his wife became head of U.A. Inter Media Group.
In June 2010 both Kanal 5
and TVi
accused Khoroshkovsky of abusing his power and influence to preserve monopoly control of Ukraine's media airwaves and limit objective news reporting. Khoroshkovsky replied (early June 2010) that he is ready to sell his media business to a willing buyer. As of the summer of 2011 it was not sold.
(Ukrainian Parliament) from the Ukrainian parliamentary election of 1998
until 2002 after winning a seat in the Krasnoperekopsk
constituency
, representing the People's Democratic Party
. As a lawmaker he voted for the removal of Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko
from his office in May 2001 which resulted in the end of Yushchenko's prime ministership.
At the March 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Khoroshkovsky represented the Team of Winter Generation
, which won no seats; he was a member of the Ukrainian Peasant Democratic Party
at the time.
In August 2002 Khoroshkovsky was appointed deputy head in the Presidential Administration of President Leonid Kuchma
. Khoroshkovsky was appointed minister of economy in December 2002 in the new Viktor Yanukovych
government on recommendation of Labour Ukraine
. In 2003 he criticized Ukraine's economic policy and threatened to resign if Ukraine entered the common economic space with Russia
, Belarus
and Kazakhstan
. Labour Ukraine immediately warned the minister that any minister who opposed the entry of Ukraine to this common economic space would be fired from the government. Khoroshkovsky resigned in January 2004, complaining that the Finance Ministry was preventing his Economic Ministry from drawing up long-term economic plans.
In December 2006 President Viktor Yushchenko appointed Khoroshkovsky as First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, from which Khoroshkovsky resigned in May 2007. On December 24, 2007 Khoroshkovsky was appointed as Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine. He was relieved of this post on January 28, 2009. The same day Khoroshkovsky was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). On March 11, 2010 Khoroshkovsky was appointed head of the SBU by the Ukrainian Parliament. On April 19, 2010 Khoroshkovsky was appointed a staff member of the National Bank of Ukraine
by President Viktor Yanukovych. In 2010 he was also member of the Supreme Council of Justice
, that appoints and fires judges, from May 31 till December 16.
The SBU opened its Soviet Ukrainian
archives in January 2009. Khoroshkovsky believes that the SBU should reduce public access to its archives and concentrate on its main task of being a secret service.
According to Member of the European Parliament
Elmar Brok
(who met Khoroshkovsky when Khoroshkovsky hosted a luxurious dinner for MEPs in Brussels
in November 2010) "he doesn't seem to understand that threatening the independence of the judiciary is one of biggest mistakes you can make when you are trying to build a new state, he doesn't seem to understand what are the proper limits of his mandate."
President Yanukovych conferred a rank of general
to Khoroshkovsky in August 2011.
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
) is a Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
businessman, head of the Security Service of Ukraine and owner of U.A. Inter Media Group which owns majority shares in various Ukrainian TV channels such as Inter TV. According to Ukrainian and East European media Khoroshkovsky is one of Ukraine's richest people.
While being in public office Khoroshkovsky had large stakes in various Ukrainian media and metallurgy industries. In 2006 Khoroshkovsky stated: "I owned mid-sized businesses that had no kind of political influence. I cannot say I gained something for my business thanks to politics or that I had any political advantages thanks to business”.
Biography
Khoroshkovsky completed a postgraduate economics study at Kiev State University in 1993.Business career
In 1994 Khoroshkovsky started a metal trading business which he disbanded in 1995 to become active in banking. Since then Khoroshkovsky has been active in the furniture retail and trading business and has had stakes in dairy, soda, machinery and bus factories. In 2004 Khoroshkovsky sold his stake in Ukrsotsbank to Ukraine's second-richest businessman Viktor PinchukViktor Pinchuk
Victor Pinchuk is a Jewish-Ukrainian businessman and philanthropist. Forbes ranked him # 336 on the list of the wealthiest people in the world, with a fortune of $3.3 billion...
for an estimated $200 million.
After Khoroshkovsky's resignation as Economics Minister in January 2004 he was appointed vice president of steel giant Evraz, becoming its head in April 2006 either because of his connections or his 13-year friendship with Alexander Abramov
Alexander Abramov
Alexander Abramov is a former scientist who became an industrial magnate as head of EvrazHolding, Russia's largest steel producer. Beginning in 1998, he has amassed the largest steel and iron empire in Russia, which employs 125,000 people, controls about 22 percent of the country's total steel...
. In December 2006 Khoroshkovsky resigned as Chief Executive Officer of Evraz because of his appointment as the First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine
National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine , locally referred by its abbreviation RNBO, is an organizational state body in Ukraine tasked with developing national security policy on domestic and international matters in advising the President of Ukraine .The Council was originally created in...
.
In 2005 Khoroshkovsky paid about $250 million for a 61% stake in Inter TV, one of Ukraine's biggest television channels. In June 2007 he expanded his U.A. Inter Media Group Ltd with various other channels bought from Dmytro Firtash
Dmytro Firtash
Dmytro Firtash is a Ukrainian businessman and billionaire .Firtash first steps in business where in in the food industry in the early 1990s before moving into gas trading....
. After Khoroshkovsky was appointed as Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine in December 2007 his wife became head of U.A. Inter Media Group.
In June 2010 both Kanal 5
Kanal 5 (Ukraine)
5 Kanal is a television station in Ukraine controlled by businessman Petro Poroshenko. It became well known as the first major broadcaster during the 2004 presidential election offering balanced or critical broadcasting on candidate Viktor Yanukovych...
and TVi
TVI (channel)
-History:TVI launched on March 17, 2008. The station covers over 65% of households in Ukraine. The target audience are people from 18 to 54 years old in cities with...
accused Khoroshkovsky of abusing his power and influence to preserve monopoly control of Ukraine's media airwaves and limit objective news reporting. Khoroshkovsky replied (early June 2010) that he is ready to sell his media business to a willing buyer. As of the summer of 2011 it was not sold.
Political career
Khoroshkovsky was a member of the Verkhovna RadaVerkhovna Rada
The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine is Ukraine's parliament. The Verkhovna Rada is a unicameral parliament composed of 450 deputies, which is presided over by a chairman...
(Ukrainian Parliament) from the Ukrainian parliamentary election of 1998
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 1998
The second Ukrainian parliamentary election after the collapse of the Soviet Union took place on 29 March 1998. In comparison to the first parliamentary election, this time half of 450 parliament seats were filled by single-seat majority winners in 225 electoral regions , and the other half were...
until 2002 after winning a seat in the Krasnoperekopsk
Krasnoperekopsk
Krasnoperekopsk is a city in Crimea, Ukraine which is located on the southern part of the Perekop Isthmus, on the shore of the Stare lake, and about from the Crimean capital, Simferopol...
constituency
Electoral district
An electoral district is a distinct territorial subdivision for holding a separate election for one or more seats in a legislative body...
, representing the People's Democratic Party
People's Democratic Party (Ukraine)
-History:The party had a flying start, at the parliamentary elections 1998 the party gained 5% of the votes and 28 seats in Parliament. At the time of the election the party's leader, Valeriy Pustovoitenko, was prime minister....
. As a lawmaker he voted for the removal of Prime Minister Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Yushchenko
Viktor Andriyovych Yushchenko is a former President of Ukraine. He took office on January 23, 2005, following a period of popular unrest known as the Orange Revolution...
from his office in May 2001 which resulted in the end of Yushchenko's prime ministership.
At the March 2002 Ukrainian parliamentary election
Ukrainian parliamentary election, 2002
Ukrainian parliamentary election of 2002 took place on March 31. Half of the deputies to Verkhovna Rada were elected on proportional basis, while the other half were elected by popular vote in single-mandate constituencies...
Khoroshkovsky represented the Team of Winter Generation
Team of Winter Generation
The Team of Winter Generation was an electoral alliance in Ukraine.At the parliamentary elections on 30 March 2002, the alliance won 2.0 % of the popular vote and no seats.The alliance had the following members:...
, which won no seats; he was a member of the Ukrainian Peasant Democratic Party
Ukrainian Peasant Democratic Party
The Ukrainian Peasant Democratic Party is a political party in Ukraine. It was registered with the Ministry of Justice on 15 January 1991.-History:...
at the time.
In August 2002 Khoroshkovsky was appointed deputy head in the Presidential Administration of President Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Kuchma
Leonid Danylovych Kuchma was the second President of independent Ukraine from 19 July 1994, to 23 January 2005. Kuchma took office after winning the 1994 presidential election against his rival, incumbent Leonid Kravchuk...
. Khoroshkovsky was appointed minister of economy in December 2002 in the new Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Yanukovych
Viktor Fedorovych Yanukovych is a Ukrainian politician who has been the President of Ukraine since February 2010.Yanukovych served as the Governor of Donetsk Oblast from 1997 to 2002...
government on recommendation of Labour Ukraine
Labour Ukraine
Strong Ukraine ; former Labour Party Ukraine , is a political party in Ukraine registered in August 1999. The party claims to have over 80,000 members as of mid-May 2010. It is currently negotiating a merge with the Party of Regions....
. In 2003 he criticized Ukraine's economic policy and threatened to resign if Ukraine entered the common economic space with Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
, Belarus
Belarus
Belarus , officially the Republic of Belarus, is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe, bordered clockwise by Russia to the northeast, Ukraine to the south, Poland to the west, and Lithuania and Latvia to the northwest. Its capital is Minsk; other major cities include Brest, Grodno , Gomel ,...
and Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
. Labour Ukraine immediately warned the minister that any minister who opposed the entry of Ukraine to this common economic space would be fired from the government. Khoroshkovsky resigned in January 2004, complaining that the Finance Ministry was preventing his Economic Ministry from drawing up long-term economic plans.
In December 2006 President Viktor Yushchenko appointed Khoroshkovsky as First Deputy Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council, from which Khoroshkovsky resigned in May 2007. On December 24, 2007 Khoroshkovsky was appointed as Head of the State Customs Service of Ukraine. He was relieved of this post on January 28, 2009. The same day Khoroshkovsky was appointed First Deputy Chief of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). On March 11, 2010 Khoroshkovsky was appointed head of the SBU by the Ukrainian Parliament. On April 19, 2010 Khoroshkovsky was appointed a staff member of the National Bank of Ukraine
National Bank of Ukraine
National Bank of Ukraine is the central bank of Ukraine. Its headquarters building, constructed between 1902 and 1934, is located at no. 9 Institutska St., in Kiev-History:...
by President Viktor Yanukovych. In 2010 he was also member of the Supreme Council of Justice
Supreme Council of Justice (Ukraine)
The Supreme Council of Justice is an advising judicial and control-revisionary government body in Ukraine. The Supreme Council of Justice of Ukraine advises on the appointment or release of certain judges, examines the cases of infringements, and executes disciplinary proceedings involving judges...
, that appoints and fires judges, from May 31 till December 16.
The SBU opened its Soviet Ukrainian
Ukrainian SSR
The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic or in short, the Ukrainian SSR was a sovereign Soviet Socialist state and one of the fifteen constituent republics of the Soviet Union lasting from its inception in 1922 to the breakup in 1991...
archives in January 2009. Khoroshkovsky believes that the SBU should reduce public access to its archives and concentrate on its main task of being a secret service.
According to Member of the European Parliament
Member of the European Parliament
A Member of the European Parliament is a person who has been elected to the European Parliament. The name of MEPs differ in different languages, with terms such as europarliamentarian or eurodeputy being common in Romance language-speaking areas.When the European Parliament was first established,...
Elmar Brok
Elmar Brok
Elmar Brok is a German Member of the European Parliament and the former Chairman of the European Parliament Committee on Foreign Affairs. He was elected on the CDU ticket and sits with the European People's Party group...
(who met Khoroshkovsky when Khoroshkovsky hosted a luxurious dinner for MEPs in Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
in November 2010) "he doesn't seem to understand that threatening the independence of the judiciary is one of biggest mistakes you can make when you are trying to build a new state, he doesn't seem to understand what are the proper limits of his mandate."
President Yanukovych conferred a rank of general
General
A general officer is an officer of high military rank, usually in the army, and in some nations, the air force. The term is widely used by many nations of the world, and when a country uses a different term, there is an equivalent title given....
to Khoroshkovsky in August 2011.
External links
- Ukraine and the WTO: Possible Membership Implications, opinion piece Khoroshkovsky wrote as Minister of Economy and European Integration of Ukraine (2004)