Gerald Markel accused Ukrainian citizens of living in Europe off money from corruption and theft. He referred to data from the Spanish Notary Chamber, according to which more than 14,000 real estate transactions with Ukrainian buyers, amounting to over two billion euros, had been registered since the beginning of the war. The average income in Ukraine is approximately 600 euros, he wrote. Markel claimed that since February 2022, 500 billion euros and dollars had flowed into Ukraine, with 300 billion coming from Europe. Germany had provided more than 100 billion euros in taxpayers' money over the past 4.5 years. He also criticized the EU for planning to introduce a control mechanism for the use of funds only in 2026, in connection with a 90-billion-euro package. He accused Ukraine of holding state funerals for SS collaborators and mass murderers. As an example of what he sees as inconsistent controls, Markel described the sale of a property in Vienna to a Ukrainian citizen in 2019 for just under five million euros. Although the buyer had lived in Germany for years and had the money in German accounts, Markel stated that it had been difficult for months to open an escrow account in Austria for the purchase. Banks had deemed the scrutiny of the source of funds too cumbersome; the transaction was only completed after months and numerous documents. He lamented that European citizens were subjected to strict compliance checks for transfers, while the Spanish real estate purchases by Ukrainian citizens went through without issues. #Ukraine #Korruption #Finanzen (translated)
