Former UAF president Pavelko detained in Slovakia: Suspected of embezzling UAH 295 million
Former president of the Ukrainian Association of Football (UAF) has been detained in Slovakia. Preparations are underway for his extradition.
Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko reported this, Censor.NET informs.
Case details
According to Censor.NET sources, the individual in question is former MP Andrii Pavelko.
Kravchenko said that the former UAF president had evaded Ukrainian justice for years.
According to the investigation, he organised a scheme to siphon off nearly UAH 295 million belonging to the Federation through commercial entities under his control. Fictitious contracts were concluded for supplies of seafood, premium teas, coffee and electrical equipment that existed only on paper. The money was siphoned off, causing the Football Federation of Ukraine and its regional branches losses amounting to millions of hryvnias.
The Prosecutor General’s Office has already initiated extradition proceedings. Kravchenko sent a letter to the competent authorities of the Slovak Republic notifying them of Ukraine’s intention to request Pavelko’s extradition and asking that he be placed under provisional arrest.
Background
In November 2022, law enforcement officers notified Ukrainian Association of Football Secretary General Yurii Zapisotskyi of suspicion of embezzling UAH 26.5 million. UAF president Andrii Pavelko was also named as a suspect in the case. According to investigators, the UAF officials misappropriated the funds during the purchase of equipment for the construction of a factory producing artificial turf for football pitches. The suspects subsequently laundered part of the money.
- The court ordered both suspects to be held in custody for two months with the option of posting bail set at UAH 9.88 million. Bail was posted. In particular, UAF Marketing paid Zapisotskyi’s bail.
- On 16 June 2023, the court changed the preventive measure imposed on Pavelko and ordered him to be held in custody for 60 days.
- On 15 July 2023, the court remanded Ukrainian Association of Football Secretary General Yurii Zapisotskyi in custody for 60 days without the option of bail.
- On 25 December 2025, former Ukrainian Association of Football president Andrii Pavelko was placed on the wanted list for evading pre-trial investigation authorities.
