Ukrainian fugitive oligarch Hennadiy Boholyubov hid a 5-star hotel in Croatia from the High Court of England

A number of companies and their managers closely associated with Ihor Kolomoiskyi and Hennadiy Boholyubov are co-owners and operators of the Croatian hotel Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split. According to Telegraph, this hotel is not included in the list of property frozen by the London court’s Freezing Order concerning the seizure of assets belonging to Kolomoiskyi and Boholyubov, although by all indications it should be.

Shady dealings on the blue sea shore

When businessman Hennadiy Boholyubov fled abroad with fake documents in July 2024, he chose Austria as his destination country. Although he could have settled in Croatia, where, as it turns out, he may have a hidden secret asset – a luxurious 5-star hotel, Radisson Blu Resort & Spa in Split, located on the Adriatic Sea shore.

According to Croatian monitoring systems and local press, the hotel is owned and managed by HOTEL SPLIT d.d.

Who owns the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa hotel in Split, Croatia

The owners of HOTEL SPLIT d.d. include a number of shareholders, the main ones being:

- AEDRO FINANCE LTD, with a 68.84% share. This is an offshore company in Belize, known for securely hiding the owners of registered firms. This is where Kolomoiskyi and Boholyubov, the Surkis brothers, and other representatives of the Ukrainian establishment love to register their "blank companies." According to local Croatian press, this firm is the main creditor of the hotel.

- MEMENTO d.o.o., Zagreb, Croatia, owner of 26.84% of the hotel.

- OLBIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED, which owns 2.8% of the hotel. This is also an offshore company, this time based in Cyprus. Information about it was obtained (about which below).

For understanding – the last two companies are essentially the same, as OLBIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED is the sole owner of MEMENTO d.o.o.

The majority stake of OLBIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED is, in turn, owned by the Cypriot MERVINOX HOLDING LTD.

Now in detail about how hotel owners may be connected to Kolomoiskyi and Boholyubov.

As it is known, "PryvatBank" has a list of over 300 individuals and legal entities who were related parties and had outstanding debts to pay. Topping this list, as is customary, are Boholyubov and Kolomoiskyi, but besides themselves, there is a list on 7 pages of companies affiliated with them. Among such companies is OLBIA INVESTMENTS LTD, co-owner of the hotel.

Company OLBIA INVESTMENTS in the list on the "PryvatBank" website

Second point. According to Croatian sources, the president of the supervisory board of HOTEL SPLIT d.d. through MEMENTO d.o.o. and OLBIA INVESTMENTS LIMITED is a businessman of Ukrainian origin named Serhiy Distegof, who is now an Austrian citizen and has business in Ukraine and abroad.

Supervisory board and owners of Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split

Additionally, according to data, Disterhof is also a co-owner of the Cypriot MERVINOX HOLDING LTD (owner of OLBIA INVESTMENTS LTD from the "PryvatBank" list).

Information about MERVINOX HOLDING LTD, Cypriot registry data

Information about MERVINOX HOLDING LTD, Cypriot registry data

Croatian press writes that Disterhof is not only the chairman of the supervisory board of the company-owner of the hotel but also a close friend of Hryhoriy Surkis (who, let’s remember, is also involved in schemes around "Pryvat"). Ukrainian media, on the other hand, state that Serhiy Disterhof is a person of Hennadiy Boholyubov.

Another link to Boholyubov-Kolomoiskyi with the companies mentioned above is through their management. Thus, the director of MERVINOX HOLDING LTD (co-owner of OLBIA INVESTMENTS LTD, which manages and owns the hotel) is a Marianna Giannakou (Greek: Μαριαννα Γιαννακου, English: Marianna Giannakou).

Marianna Giannakou and MERVINOX HOLDING LTD, Cypriot registry data

She also managed (or still manages) a number of other companies within Boholyubov-Kolomoiskyi’s orbit. For example, Giannakou was a stock trustee of PJSC "Kharkiv Fat Plant" (within Kolomoiskyi’s orbit), director at OPTIMUSAGRO HOLDING LTD (Zaporizhzhya oil factory, also in Kolomoiskyi’s circle of interest) and in Sunaltezza Consulting Ltd (this is already Boholyubov’s assets) and so on.

Marianna Giannakou and OPTIMUSAGRO HOLDING LTD, Cypriot registry data

Did the English overlook?

So, what do we have from all of this? We have a wonderful modern hotel from the Radisson Blu chain in one of the most interesting corners of Croatia, which earns well, recently was upgraded from 4-stars to 5-stars, has its beaches, pools. spa, and other full facilities.

Screenshot from the FB page of Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split

In such a hotel, if desired, one can have a pleasant rest (if you’re not in prison, of course, but have fled abroad with fake documents). Or even hide (if you can’t stand any demands from the Ukrainian authorities on the "PryvatBank" case). Especially when the companies owning this hotel are affiliated with you. The people managing these companies are in your pocket. And even the fact that the High Court of England limited your expenses, putting a limit of a meager £20,000 a week – it’s nothing. After all, the hotel is directly managed by your person, even a friend of an old friend. As long as the judge in England does not find out that you are somehow connected with this hotel.

And the High Court of England, it seems, doesn’t really know yet that Boholyubov and Kolomoiskyi may have such an interesting hidden asset. In documents (responses to inquiries) of the High Court of England, which the journalists obtained, concerning the request to disclose assets by Hennadiy Boholyubov, none of the companies involved with the Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split is mentioned. Although there are, of course, many other interesting names and company titles present.

High Court of England data, response 1

High Court of England data, response 1

High Court of England data, response 1

High Court of England data, response 2

High Court of England data, response 2

However, if something quacks like a duck, has feathers like a duck, and doesn’t sink in water – the answer to the question "what is it?" is usually unequivocal. So too, when someone places their people to manage a hotel through firms affiliated with the "former" "PryvatBank", but tries to hide it all in offshore companies – it is hard to come up with some original answer to the question – "whose is this Radisson Blu Resort & Spa in Croatia?".

Therefore, probably "PryvatBank", which is engaged in returning the misappropriated assets by Boholyubov and Kolomoiskyi, and law enforcement, should take a closer look at Radisson Blu Resort & Spa, Split. We, for our part, will be following this issue closely.