MP Khalimon Buys Elite House On Pechersk From OCU Metropolitan Drabynko - Media

Member of Parliament from the Servant of the People faction Pavlo Khalimon bought an elite house on Pechersk in Kyiv from the Metropolitan of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) Oleksandr Drabynko.

Drabynko told TSN about this, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

According to the media, during the war Khalimon bought a house for UAH 10 million, registering it for another person.

Metropolitan Drabynko confirmed that his brother was involved in the sale of the house.

"That's how it was. I was selling the house for a year, and no one bought it, because the price that could be paid in 2013 was high. There was development around, and even those who came to see the house were not ready to buy for twice the price. There was a buyer, at least someone. We sold it for the price they offered. I just had no choice. In 2013, USD 4 million was offered for the house. But then I thought I would be in Lavra, that it was nearby and I wasn't going to sell it. But 10 years later it fell into disrepair because no one lived there. It was outdated by the buyers' standards. It lost its value as development came up around it, it became uninhabitable," Drabynko said.

He noted that he became the owner of an elite estate as an heir from Metropolitan Volodymyr.

"This is an inheritance that was handed over to me by the late Metropolitan Volodymyr (Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Sabodan). An inheritance for which all taxes were paid at the time and registered as a purchase and sale," the Metropolitan remarked.

He emphasized that since the house is his property, he has the right to sell it to whoever he wants.

"This is my personal matter. I consider it this way: whether I sell a cow or a house - it doesn't matter. For how much and to whom. I don't understand why it got a stir. I'm not a buyer, but a seller. This is my property," the clergyman emphasized.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, MP from the Servant of the People faction Khalimon bought an elite apartment in the center of Kyiv.

MP Khalimon was deprived of the position of deputy head of the faction after the scandal involving the purchase of elite housing on Pechersk in Kyiv.