Ukrainian businessman Firtash spent almost $800,000 on lobbying for his interests in the U.S.
The Ukrainian oligarch, Dmytro Firtash, spent almost $800,000 on lobbying on behalf of his interests in the United States, as outlined in the article “The battle for Washington. Lobby of Dmitry Firtash,” published by Ukrayinska Pravda.
“Dmytro Firtash has transferred $80,000 to the account of influential, as he believed, U.S. lobbyists two weeks before the presidential elections in the United States. By that time, the tycoon had already spent $700,000 on their services,” the article says.
It is also specified in the article that Lanny Jesse Davis lobbies the interests of Dmytro Firtash. “Davis is a political expert, publicist, author of memoirs such as the the ‘Truth to Tell’ that is about his work as a Spokesperson for the White House and Special Counsel to the former President, Bill Clinton. Davis was entrusted with the protection of the womanizer as a speaker during an attempt of impeachment,” as stated in the article.
In 2010, Lanny Davis founded his own company, the Lanny J. Davis & Associates, LLC. Firtash signed an agreement with this company for a 1-year term. “The service package included legal representation, investigation, and collection of evidence in favor of the defense and correction of inaccuracies and distortions in the media concerning the image of the Ukrainian oligarch. The cost of this package was USD 60 thousand per month,” the article noted.
The annual consultations of Davis cost the Group DF (diversified international group of companies of Dmytro Firtash) $700 thousand. “In addition, Davis obliged Firtash to pay an extra $25,000 for the consulting services of Vice President of Levick Strategic Communications, Eleanor McManus,” as outlined in the article.
On October, 24th, 2016, two weeks before the U.S. presidential elections, the company of the Ukrainian oligarch transferred $80,000 to the account of Davis Goldberg & Galper PLLC, which was created by Lanny Davis only six months prior to this.
“Ironically, the contract between the Group DF and Davis Goldberg & Galper PLLC is short-term; it was signed for only two months. This document almost covers the number of advance payments transferred to the accounts of lobbyists before the announcement of the results of the presidential elections. Probably, the services of people close to the Clinton family are no longer relevant for the Group DF,” the article says.
In addition, Firtash is accused of paying a $18.5 million bribe in exchange for a license on the development of titanium deposits in India. The other publications of the Ukrayinska Pravda concerning lobbying stated that the Ukrainian Government used the services of the U.S. lobbyists in order to promote its position before signing the agreement on debt restructuring between Ukraine and external private creditors.
Since March 2016, the British company Aveiro LP headed by Yulia Belousova lobbies the interests of the leader of the All-Ukrainian Union Fatherland political party, Yulia Tymoshenko, in the United States.