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Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky during the court session on Sept. 15, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

A Kyiv court on May 9 authorized an arrest warrant for oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky in a murder case.

He will be in custody until July 7 without the right of bail.

Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's most infamous business tycoons, was arrested on Sept. 2 for alleged fraud and money laundering related to his oil and gas holdings. He is the wealthiest businessman to have landed behind bars in Ukraine's independent history.

On May 8, the Prosecutor General's Office announced he was also suspected of ordering the murder of the head of a law firm more than 20 years ago in Crimea.

After the lawyer refused Kolomoisky's demands to annul a decision made at a shareholders' meeting, the oligarch allegedly hired contract killers to assassinate him, according to the investigation.

Kolomoisky has denied the accusation.

The National Police, who say they now have "indisputable evidence" of Kolomoisky's guilt in the case, wrote in a press release that the assassination attempt happened in the Crimean town of Feodosia in August 2003.

Four men attacked the lawyer, beating him and stabbing him, according to the investigators.

He survived the attack after his wife intervened and received life-saving medical care, according to the police. The men were later arrested and sentenced to prison.

A separate investigation was opened to determine who ordered the lawyer's murder.

On May 8, Ukrainian law enforcement officially announced that Kolomoisky was suspected of ordering the assassination. If found guilty, he may be sentenced to between 15 years in jail and life imprisonment.

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