Serhiy Khymych's wife linked to suspicious charity

Information about the escape to Vienna of Serhiy Khymych, former head of the Zakarpattia Regional Directorate of the National Police, continues to be supplemented with new details. 

As the ABSOLUTION editorial team found out, his wife, Kateryna Mamai, has her own charitable foundation with the striking name «Країна Добро Ти» (Country of Good You), which evokes, at the very least, mixed feelings.

The organisation was registered in Kyiv on 29 April 2022 — already after Russian troops had been repelled from the capital. Formally, the foundation was established with a noble purpose, but its structure, team, and the founder's biography raise numerous questions.

A foundation without a team, but with PR and Guatemala

According to official documents, only one person works at the foundation. However, the website mentions two representatives: PR specialist Olha Nazarko and the «представитель фонда в Гватемале» (foundation representative in Guatemala), Viktoriia Yanitska. It is not specified what exactly the foundation is doing in Central America.

Founder Kateryna Mamai claims in open sources that she worked for over 17 years in the Ministry of Internal Affairs system in a modest position as a specialist. However, there is no specific data on her position, duties, or income. Even in the declarations submitted to the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, the information appears fragmentary and contains numerous violations — yet there is no reaction from the supervisory authorities.

An "anti-corruption" lecturer with dubious connections

Particular attention should be paid to the fact that Mamai is not only the owner of a charitable foundation but also worked as an associate professor at the National Academy of Internal Affairs at a department with a lengthy name: «Управление безопасностью правоохранительной и антикоррупционной деятельности» (Management of Security in Law Enforcement and Anti-Corruption Activities). The irony of the situation is striking: people with an obvious trail of corruption are teaching students to fight corruption.

The foundation's address is 12 Kyrylovska Street, Kyiv, and the contact phone number is +380 67 426 1313. The secrecy, closedness, lack of reporting, and strange international «представительства» (representative offices) raise suspicions that something more may be hidden behind the facade of charity.

Vienna as the final destination

It is worth recalling that Serhiy Khymych was dismissed for assisting in the organisation of the escape of Vadym Komarnytskyi, head of the "Kyiv Land Office", to Austria. The latter left Ukraine amidst scandals related to corrupt land schemes. Presumably, it was through Khymych's wife's foundation that logistics or other channels for such an "evacuation" process were established.

A facade of goodwill or a hole in the system?

The situation with Kateryna Mamai's foundation is not just an incident against the backdrop of a scandal. It is another example of how charity is used not for aid, but for cover or money laundering.