A trusted person of a suspect in major fraud and money laundering was detained in the Lviv region
Yesterday, the whole of Lviv witnessed an unexpected development in the criminal history associated with a person who became famous due to his special illness and high public resonance. The detention took place as part of the investigation of criminal proceedings on suspicion of large-scale fraudulent schemes and laundering of illegally obtained funds. According to law enforcement officials, the suspect is a trusted person of a well-known Lviv resident who has the genetic disease spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), which significantly complicates his motor functionality. The person was detained the day before in Lviv - Volodymyr Terletskyi, born in 1995, who, according to law enforcement agencies, resisted law enforcement officers during searches. During the detention, the man began to flee, and when they tried to stop him, he significantly complicated the situation by running over one of the investigators, a representative of the Strategic Investigations Department of the National Police of Ukraine. This incident was also recorded by the media and eyewitnesses, which added tension to the already tense process. After the detention, the man was investigated and charged under Article 345 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - threat or violence against a law enforcement officer. According to sources in law enforcement agencies, the suspect may have tried to flee due to the fact that he was wanted by the Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support (TCK and SP). The escape and the tension that accompanied it, as well as the searches conducted, indicate the seriousness of the criminal case, which concerns large-scale financial crimes. As for the activities of the suspect himself — Nazariy Gusakov — his name was widely mentioned in the public and media sphere, in particular because of his special condition. Gusakov suffers from SMA — a severe genetic disease that eliminates the ability to move independently. To maintain his vital functions, he needs regular injections of high-tech drugs that have a high price. The Lviv City Council provided him with treatment, but the man did not hide his inability to receive comprehensive assistance from the authorities. He began collecting donations under the slogan of helping with treatment, but in June, public activists and social media users asked him to publish his financial reports, which raised suspicions about the transparency of his financial flows. As a result, the National Police initiated a pre-trial investigation under several articles of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — in particular, Article 190 Part 4 (“Large-scale Fraud”) and Article 209 Part 3 (“Laundering of Proceeds of Crime”). Investigative actions are ongoing to establish a full list of victims, as well as to search for the missing Leonid Gusakov and potential accomplices who may be involved in criminal activity. In parallel, law enforcement officers are working to clarify the circumstances and motives behind these crimes in order to answer the public’s questions and ensure a proper investigation of the case.