Prosecutors have closed a criminal case against Serhiy Milman, the CEO and founder of YouControl, a website that shows connections between companies and their owners. It’s often used to root out corruption schemes.
It has been a year since the Security Service of Ukraine, or SBU, brought the case against YouControl, accusing the company of trading classified information. The SBU searched the flat of Milman on March 23, 2017.
Now the prosecution has dismissed the case against him.
According to the decision, Milman will have his foreign passport returned immediately and his money that had been seized. But YouControl’s equipment seized last year by the SBU has not been returned yet.
The legal reason to dismiss the case was that the prosecution had no evidence to prove Milman’s guilt. The decision, however, does not say the YouControl founder and employees are not guilty. Instead, it states the absence of proof.
Although the case against Milman has been dismissed, his lawyers are planning an appeal to change the reason for its closing.
They claim the text of the decree states numerous false allegations, including obtaining and trading classified information by YouControl. It also refers to the conspiracy of “unidentified representatives” from Ukraine with the Russian Federation.
“(This) has nothing to do with YouControl and is used for manipulation only,” said Andriy Kostenko, Sergei Milman’s lawyer.
The company’s main goal is to terminate the case completely and prove the law enforcement agencies were wrong. YouControl wants the case to be closed on the basis of the absence of crime, not the absence of proof.
“We completely disagree with the reason for closing this proceeding,” Kostenko said. “The only legitimate reason for closing the proceedings should have been the absence of a criminal offense in the case.”
YouControl claims it has always used open government data, which is legal.
The website gathers open data from 50 state registers, automatically compiling it into tailor-made reports. Once users request a report, it takes only about a minute for it to be prepared and delivered. On top of that, users can order round-the-clock monitoring.
It’s often used as a tool to investigate corruption schemes, as it compiles reports that include a company’s financial history, types of activity, renaming of the enterprise, staff changes, and tax debts. If required, the website can show all of the businesses linked to a beneficial owner of a particular company. It gives free access to journalists and activists for their investigations.
“The case against me and the company was rigged from the very beginning,” said Milman on March 1. “The case has already become ‘toxic’ for the law enforcement agencies, who no longer have reasons and means to prolong it.”
“The battle is won but the war continues,” Milman said.
The Kyiv Post’s technology coverage is sponsored by Ciklum and NIX Solutions. The content is independent of the donors.
