The High Anti-Corruption Court has imposed a pre-trial restraint on Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov. He was granted bail in excess of UAH 120 million. This was reported by hromadske.
In addition to bail, the court imposed a number of obligations on Chernyshov:
- to come to the detective, prosecutor or court at every request;
- report any change of place of residence or work;
- not to leave the territory of Ukraine without the permission of the investigation or the court;
- refrain from communicating with other suspects or witnesses.
These obligations will be in effect until August 27. If Chernyshov violates them, the bail will be transferred by the state. In this case, he may be granted an even higher bail or another preventive measure.
Thus, the court partially granted the motion of the NABU and the SAPO. The prosecutors asked for the same amount of bail, but additionally wanted to oblige him to wear an electronic bracelet and surrender his passport.
The prosecutor in court emphasized that the investigation was still ongoing and the investigation was collecting evidence, and Chernyshov could interfere with this process. The prosecution also asked to remove him from the post of Deputy Prime Minister.
The minister’s defense calls the accusations ‘unfounded’.
What Chernyshov himself said
The Minister said in court that he did not understand the nature of the charges, but was ready to cooperate with the investigation. He emphasized that his work involves regular business trips to maintain contacts with Ukrainians abroad.
“I do not plan to run away anywhere. I don’t understand who and what I need to hide from. I am a member of the Ukrainian government. I took an oath. The main thing at stake today is my reputation. And this is the main pledge of today,” Chernyshov said in court.
He also noted that he considers it incorrect to talk about “escape” because he returned from a business trip and immediately came to the NABU. “This case is more than a year old. No one invited me. How can I guess before a business trip that I will be called in?” the minister added.
Chernyshov also said that his accounts have already been arrested, which is a significant limitation for him.
At the beginning of the hearing, the lawyers requested that it be closed due to the risk of disclosure of details of the minister’s personal and family life, his travel routes and personal communication.