Ukrainian court orders arrest of former presidential office head

Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court has ordered the pre-trial detention of former head of the Presidential Office, Andriy Yermak, for a period of two months in connection with a money laundering case linked to the construction of luxury housing near Kyiv, as per report by the BBC.

The court also set bail at 140 million hryvnias (approximately $3.2 million). If the bail is paid, Yermak will be required to remain in Kyiv, surrender his foreign passports, and avoid contact with several individuals connected to the case, including Timur Mindich, former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksiy Chernyshov, and Veronika Anikeeva.

During the hearing, Yermak said: “I do not have such money,” while adding that he has friends and acquaintances who could potentially assist him.

The defence team has five days to appeal the ruling. Prosecutors had originally requested detention with an alternative bail of 180 million hryvnias (nearly $4 million), a figure that Yermak’s lawyer, Ihor Fomin, described as unjustified.

“The only argument used to justify this bail amount is Yermak’s lifestyle, which allegedly indicates his wealth. What did the prosecutor mean? These six years that Yermak spent in a bunker? This lifestyle?” Fomin said, arguing that the former official had lived modestly throughout his six years in office.

Yermak also told the court that he does not possess 180 million hryvnias, stating that his assets are limited to those declared officially: a 2019 Mercedes and a three-room apartment located in central Kyiv.

By Tamilla Hasanova