Leonid Mykhaylovych Chernovetskyi (; born 25 November 1951) is a Ukrainian politician and former entrepreneur, who was Mayor of Kyiv from 2006 to 2012. He was a successful businessman, founder and controlling stakeholder of the Pravex Group and Pravex Bank, one of the largest banks in Ukraine. Since the appointment of Oleksandr Popov by President Viktor Yanukovych as Head of Kyiv City State Administration on 16 November 2010, Chernovetskyi was deprived of any real decision-making role in Kyiv.Popov: Activity of city council and city head limited, Kyiv Post (February 1, 2011)Party of Regions leader: 'Pre-term mayoral elections in Kyiv are pointless', Kyiv Post (November 18, 2011) He tendered his resignation on 1 June 2012.
After this resignation Chernovetsky and his family moved to the Georgian town Kobuleti and he received Georgian citizenship.Georgia will not give Ukraine Chernovetsky - Prosecutor's Office. Ukrayinska Pravda. 27 July 2017[Georgia not to extradite ex-mayor of Kyiv Chernovetsky to Ukraine https://www.kyivpost.com/ukraine-politics/georgia-not-extradite-ex-mayor-kyiv-chernovetsky-ukraine.html], Kyiv Post (26 July 2017)
Early life Chernovetskyi quit school when he was 14 and went to work as a fitter at an aviation factory, but soon returned to resume his education, graduating from the Kharkiv public school #4. From 1970 until 1972, Chernovetsky served his military obligations. In 1977, he graduated from the Kharkiv Law School with specialization in jurisprudence. He worked as the senior detective in the prosecutor's office of Kyiv Oblast. In 1981, he returned to Kharkiv Law School attending aspirantura and obtained his doctorate in 1984 with a dissertation about Methods of investigation of plunders conducted by officials. Until 1989 he was a teacher at Kyiv University.
Career Soon after perestroika, he went into private business, becoming one of the earliest big businesspeople in Kyiv. He founded the Pravex Group (, an abbreviated from "Law, Economics and Sociology"). Later the banking division of the Pravex Group rose into the Pravex Bank - one of the largest banks in Ukraine, possessing a dense network of offices in Kyiv and other regions. In 2001, Chernovestkyi and his bank founded the "Kyiv Bank Union" banking association. Pravex Bank was sold in 2008 to Banca Intesa São Paulo for 509 million euros. Chernovetskyi has acknowledged giving millions in bribes during his days as a businessman.
In 2012, Leonid Chernovetskiy founded the Chernovetskyi Investment Group, a venture capital group based in Kyiv. In 2015, the Chernovetskyi Investment Group made an investment of $1 million into Busfor, a Moscow-based online tour company.
On 18 August 2008 President Victor Yushchenko granted him the Order of Yaroslav the Wise, though it was harshly opposed by Prime Minister Yulia Tymoshenko who urged to "stop granting decorations to corruptionists".
Chernovestkyi is a member of the Embassy of God, an evangelical church founded by Nigerian immigrant Sunday Adelaja. He is also a longtime philanthropist of Kyiv, caring for the city's old and poor.
In January 2009 Chernovitskyi bought FC Arsenal Kyiv for 1 Hryvnia from Ukrainian businessman Vadim Rabinovich.Mayor to buy Arsenal football club, Kyiv Post (19 January 2009)Рабинович: "У Черновецкого внутри большая любовь к спорту", football.ua (16 January 2009)
In February 2009 he released a compact disc with "popular songs of the 1980s" sung by him.Disc with 'heartbreaking songs' of the 1980s by Kyiv mayor to be released in a week, Interfax-Ukraine (4 February 2009)
In 2009 he became the man of the year according to Korrespondent magazine.http://chernovetskiy.com.ua/news/leonid-chernoveckiy-%E2%80%93-lichnost-goda-po-versii-zhurnala-korrespondent/ Официальный сайт Черновецкого
On 2 January 2013 Leonid Chernovetskiy founded Chernovetskyi Investment Group, investment potential of which exceeds 750 million dollars.
He is currently Honorary President of Chernovetskyi Investment Group.
Chernovetskyi was nicknamed "Cosmos" () after he publicly announced that he intends to fly in outer space with his cat. However, that name got stuck with him later due to his non-ordinary administrative and political decisions and announcements that have been viewed as "bizarre".Cartoon, Kyiv Post (June 4, 2010) He has sung at rallies and offered to auction off his kisses. That behavior prompted some officials to call for a medical examination into whether he is mentally healthy to govern the city. In response, Chernovetsky posed, on 18 March 2009, in tight swimming trunks in front of scores of reporters to try to show he was both physically and mentally fit.Photos: Statement of Leonid Chernovetsky for press, Ukrainian Independent Information Agency (March 18, 2009)
Chernovestkyi was the subject of several personal and political attacks when he took office as mayor of Kyiv. Some were critical about his lack of experience and his authoritarianism. Others considered him off-balance or speculated that he has drug or alcohol problems. However, none of these accusations have been proven to date.
Controversies
Pravex Bank, one of the largest retail banks of Ukraine formerly controlled by Chernovestkyi and his family, was rumoured to submit its new employees to a polygraph test and to use coercive methods to recover impaired loans. However, the Bank came out to be one of the most profitable financial institutions in Ukraine despite strong competition from foreign-owned banks.
In 2003, Chernovestkyi made headlines for his links to the deaths of two pedestrians who had died on separate occasions after being run over at high speed by cars linked to Chernovetsky on the road leading to his mansion in the elite Koncha Zaspa residential neighborhood. Chernovetsky, who is a collector of expensive souped-up automobiles, was behind the wheel in the second incident; his wife was a passenger in the first. Neither Chernovetsky nor his driver has been found guilty of any wrongdoing in connection with the incidents.
On 16 February 2010 the Kyiv city administration denied reports that Chernovetskyi's daughter Khrystyna Chernovetska was robbed in France on 15 February 2010, after foreign media had reported that Chernovetska had €4.5 million worth of jewels stolen in Paris.
In April 2011, Interpol issued an international arrest warrant for Chernovetskyi's son-in-law Viacheslav Suprunenko, a member of the Kyiv city council's Chernovetskyi Bloc faction. According to Kyiv Post, he was arrested in Italy in May 2011.
Chernovetskyi's son, Stepan was arrested in Barcelona in July 2016 on charges of money laundering and fraud despite his father's denials and threats of legal action against Spanish authorities. Leonid Chernovetskyi released a statement on his Facebook page announcing the release of his son in August 2016.
Political career
Chernovetskyi is the leader of the Christian Liberal Party of Ukraine. He joined the party in 1996 and was elected to the Ukrainian Parliament, the Verkhovna Rada, representing one of Kyiv's constituencies. He was reelected in 1998 and 2002. During his last term (2002–2006) he was a member of the Committee of National Budget and head of the Committee for Budget Control and Spending. He also was a member of the Our Ukraine fraction in Parliament. In 1998-1999 Chernovestkyi was a co-chair, and in 1999-2000 the chair of the "For Beautiful Ukraine" party. From 1997 to 2001 he was a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the President of Ukraine.
While being a member of Verhovna Rada Leonid Chernovetskyi advocated for citizens in disputes with officials of Kyiv City State Administration. During this time his office helped thousands of Kyiv citizens. In some cases he personally sought positive resolutions.
In 2003, he introduced a bill in parliament "On the protection of public morals", which governs the state regulation on the circulation of information and media products which negatively affect public morality. The law also imposed prohibition on the production and circulation of pornographic materials.http://chernovetskiy.com.ua/news/leonid-chernoveckij-byl-avtorom-pervogo-ukrainskogo-zakona-o-zashhite-obshhestvennoj-morali/ Официальный сайт
2004 presidential elections Chernovestkyi was a self-nominated candidate in the 2004 presidential election, believed to be one of the "technical candidates" whose actual purpose was to assist Viktor Yushchenko's struggle for the presidency by placing additional representatives in electoral commissions.
2006 parliamentary and mayor elections According to the Kyiv city election commission, Chernovetskyi garnered 32 percent of the vote to win the election for mayor of Kyiv. Vitali Klitschko placed second with 24 percent and incumbent Oleksandr Omelchenko placed third with 21 percent. Opponents say Chernovetskyi won because of a dirty campaign marred by bribing impoverished elderly voters with food; Chernovetsky has denied this. Chernovetskyi was also elected to the Verkhovna Rada in the list of the Our Ukraine Bloc, but had to reject the parliamentary seat.
In first year after the election victory Chernovetskyi increased Kyiv budget 5 times and developed anti-alcohol and anti-tobacco programs during his tenure as mayor.http://chernovetskiy.com.ua/news/intervyu-l-chernoveckogo-izdaniyu-segodnya-chast-1/ Официальный сайтhttp://chernovetskiy.com.ua/news/centralnye-ulicy-osvobodyat-ot-vrednyx-privychek/ Официальный сайт
2008 snap Kyiv local election and political unrest Leonid Chernovetskyi won another term as Mayor of Kyiv with 38% of the vote in the 25 May 2008 snap local election, called by the Verkhovna Rada in March 2008.
Former deputy head of Leonid Chernovetsky's Block Alla Shlapak highlighted Chernovetsky's support for aid programs for pensioners, teachers, medics and other groups. In 2010 he founded a charitable service “Social Patrol”, which was delivering warm clothes, food, medical assistance and advising to homeless people. Официальный сайт
In 12 of April 2012, in Georgia L. Chernovetskiy established a charitable fund called “Social partnership”. The main projects of Social Partnership fund are: “Home care” (providing medication and medical assistance to those who are in need); “Family-type orphanage”; “Large family support”; “Gathering of clothes” (system for gathering and distributing clothes for people in need); “Food collecting program” (gathering of food for poor people).
After his resignation from the post of mayor he continued to engage in charitable work. According to his own statement, the former mayor donates not less than 1 million dollars to charity per year. In September 2013, he opened an orphanage in Georgia.
Leonid Chernoverskiy has been known to organize contests to generate ideas to help resolve Ukrainian social and political crises, with cash prizes for winners.
Chernoverskiy did not participate in the 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election. Alphabetical Index of candidates in 2014 Ukrainian parliamentary election, Central Election Commission of Ukraine.
In December 2015 Chernoverskiy made an announcement of his intention to enter the political arena in Georgia in an interview with a Georgian media outlet, stating, “I decided to go into politics because I want to spend the last days of my life here, in Georgia. Georgia is my destiny!”.