Raider lawyer Artem Shamray helps Russia to take away Ukrainian ships

The State Fisheries Agency gives fishing ships to Russians. Publications with this title were spread across the Ukrainian media in December 2023. Another betrayal, offshore and courts on islands whose names are known only to businessmen who want to avoid taxation. But there was a small gap in this story. The criminal case states that government officials engaged "controlled law firms" to carry out the scheme. The journalists found out who these companies were and what role Artem Shamray, the former director of Kyivtransparkservice, played in the case.

Briefly about the case: The State Agency of Ukraine for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries and Food Programmes had two fishing vessels on its balance sheet, the Professor Mykhailo Aleksandrov and the Captain Rusak. In 1997, the same agency established Fishing Company S.A., a company registered in the British Virgin Islands. The agency was its sole founder and it was the company that leased the above-mentioned vessels. The situation began to escalate in 2017, when Ukraine began to actively impose sanctions on banks of the Russian Federation. Among them was Prominvestbank, a subsidiary of the Russian state corporation VEB.RF, which started a lawsuit against Fishing Company S.A. in order to take possession of the vessels as alleged compensation for debts. Subsequently, the State Fisheries Agency reported that the former director of Fishing Company S.A. had acted behind its back and actually allowed Russian businessmen to take possession of the vessels. In February 2023, the ships were arrested in the Spanish port of Las Palmas to prevent their transfer to the Russians.

"This criminal group (officials of state-owned enterprises in collusion with Russian citizens - Ed.) leased two

In December 2022, the Shevchenkivskyi Court of Kyiv granted permission to search the car of the former director of Fishing Company S.A. According to the investigation, it could have contained evidence of actions aimed at assisting the aggressor state. In particular, documents and correspondence relating to the transfer of two fishing vessels to the Russian Federation. These include invoices for the transfer of about UAH 15 million to the accounts of controlled companies for fictitious services. The case file shows that at least six law firms were involved in the scheme. Among them is Dominanta Legal Group LLC.

"Dominanta was established in 2011 by lawyer Artem Shamrai, and since 2016 the firm has been run by his relative Liudmyla Shamray.

Artem Shamray is known for being the head of the Kyivtransparkservis utility company in 2016. His dismissal took place during a meeting of the anti-corruption commission and was indicative. In particular, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klychko had this to say about Shamrai: "We see how many millions of hryvnias are in the shadows. How much the city is losing money. You have lost trust. Much has not been done. I have neither the desire nor the time to continue to experiment and give time to restore order in this area. I am dismissing you from this position due to loss of trust."

After an unsuccessful attempt to gain a foothold in the Kyiv city government, Artem Shamray returned to law. However, there were scandals here too. In 2018, Dominanta Legal Group LLC, owned by Shamrai, was involved in an attempted raider seizure of the Chaika residential complex. Trials in this case have not stopped to this day.

In 2019, he was accused of helping to fabricate a criminal case against activist Viktor Zayets.

In 2023, Artem Shamray, as a lawyer, helped to "raid" the Starokinniy market. However, so far without success. This case, by the way, involves Shamrai’s partner Albert Dunda, whom he brought to court in the case of the seizure of the Chaika residential complex. In 2021, Dunda was the head of Starokynnyi Rynok LLC, whose founders included Artem Shamray.

"Dominanta was established in 2011 by lawyer Artem Shamrai, and since 2016 the firm has been run by his relative Liudmyla Shamray.

In 2019, he was accused of helping to fabricate a criminal case against activist Viktor Zayets.

In 2023, Artem Shamrai, as a lawyer, helped to "raid" the Starokinniy market. However, so far without success. This case, by the way, involves Shamrai’s partner Albert Dunda, whom he brought to court in the case of the seizure of the Chaika residential complex. In 2021, Dunda was the head of Starokynnyi Rynok LLC, whose founders included Artem Shamrai.

But let’s get back to the case of the transfer of two Ukrainian fishing vessels to the Russian Federation. The investigation materials read as follows: "Since the beginning of the armed aggression of the Russian Federation on the territory of Ukraine on 24.02.2022, a group of Ukrainian citizens, including officials of the State Agency of Land Reclamation and Fisheries of Ukraine, have committed intentional actions aimed at assisting the aggressor state (aiding and abetting)... by transferring... the vessels Captain Rusak, Professor Mikhail Alexandrov and other assets to their representatives.... The said group of persons plans to organise the departure of the said vessels from the Las Palmas seaport, after which they will carry out a fictitious sinking of the vessels using forged documents. Subsequently, the said vessels with the AIS system disabled are relocated to seaports of the Russian Federation... A group of persons transferred funds (over UAH 15 million) held on the accounts of the joint-stock company Fishing Company S.A. to controlled organisations with signs of fictitiousness for various services that were not actually provided... with the aim of further cashing them out, which indicates the embezzlement of funds of the state-owned company."

The investigation directly calls Artem Shamray’s Dominant Legal Group "a commercial enterprise controlled by the former director of Fishing Company S.A.". Thus, law enforcement officers believe that Shamrai could have contributed to the Ukrainian vessels being owned by the aggressor country. Moreover, judging by the case file, the lawyer could have been an active participant in the embezzlement of UAH 15 million from the State Agency for the Development of Land Reclamation, Fisheries and Food Programmes.

In September 2022, the State Agency for Fisheries officially accused Mykhailo Herman, former director of Fishing Company S.A., of causing damage to the state in excess of USD 1 million. Apparently, Herman embezzled these millions from Artem Shamray’s company.

If in other semi-legal cases Shamray somehow managed to get away with it, then helping to finance a state that launched a full-scale war against Ukraine could land him in a prison cell.

Author: Olena Dobrodiy