Former head of the Football Federation of Ukraine Pavelko detained in Slovakia: his extradition procedure has begun
Фото: УАФ
Former president of the Football Federation of Ukraine Andriy Pavelko, who was wanted by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, was detained in Bratislava. The Prosecutor General’s Office of Ukraine has initiated the procedure for his extradition.
This was announced by the Prosecutor General of Ukraine Ruslan Kravchenko.
According to the Prosecutor General, a former high-ranking official of the Football Federation of Ukraine, who had been hiding from Ukrainian justice for a long time, was detained in the capital of Slovakia. Although Kravchenko did not name him, UNN journalists learned that it was Andriy Pavelko.
“A former high-ranking official of the Football Federation of Ukraine, who was wanted by Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, was detained in Bratislava. He had been hiding from Ukrainian justice for years. But the international search and effective cooperation with foreign partners yielded results,” Kravchenko said.
According to the investigation, Pavelko is suspected of organizing a scheme to withdraw almost 295 million hryvnias of funds from the Football Federation of Ukraine through controlled commercial structures. According to law enforcement officers, for this purpose fictitious contracts were concluded for the supply of seafood, elite varieties of tea, coffee and electrical equipment, which existed only on paper. According to the investigation, the funds were withdrawn, and the Football Federation of Ukraine and its regional branches suffered multi-million losses.
The Prosecutor General reported that the Prosecutor General’s Office has already initiated the extradition procedure for the detainee. A letter of intent has been sent to the competent authorities of the Slovak Republic to request the extradition of the suspect, as well as to apply for temporary arrest against him.
“This detention is the result of professional interaction between Ukrainian law enforcement officers and the competent authorities of the Slovak Republic and the effective use of mechanisms of international legal cooperation. We will continue to return to Ukraine those who for years believed that they could hide from the law abroad. Time, distance, another country, or a new life do not cancel responsibility,” Kravchenko said.
Recall that in December 2025, the Security Service of Ukraine put the former president of the Ukrainian Football Association, Andriy Pavelko, on the wanted list.
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