The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has imposed a pre-trial restraint on MP Oleksiy Kuznetsov, ordering 60 days of detention with the option to post bail set at UAH 8 million.
According to Ukrinform, the information was provided by the HACC press service.
“On Monday, August 4, an investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure of detention for 60 days on the Member of Parliament of Ukraine of the IX convocation. As an alternative, the court set bail at UAH 8,003,004,” the statement reads.
If bail is posted, the suspect must comply with several court-imposed conditions. These include: reporting to the investigator, prosecutor, investigating judge, or court upon request; remaining within the city of Kyiv and Kyiv region unless granted permission to leave; notifying authorities of any changes in residence or employment; refraining from contact with individuals specified in the judge’s ruling; surrendering all passports and travel documents to the relevant state authorities; and wearing an electronic monitoring device.
The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) noted that the MP is suspected of committing several criminal offenses under the Criminal Code of Ukraine, including: Part 5 of Article 191 – misappropriation, embezzlement, or seizure of property through abuse of office; Part 3 of Article 28 – commission of a criminal offense by a group of persons, by prior conspiracy, or as part of an organized group or criminal organization; Part 4 of Article 368 – acceptance of an offer, promise, or receipt of an unlawful benefit by an official
As previously reported by Ukrinform, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that a Ukrainian MP, along with heads of district and city administrations and several National Guard servicemembers, had been exposed for accepting bribes. The announcement followed a briefing from Semen Kryvonos, Director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), and Oleksandr Klymenko, Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Subsequently, NABU and SAPO clarified that the case centered on fraudulent procurement of drones and electronic warfare equipment at artificially inflated prices. The scheme involved awarding government contracts to supplier companies at deliberately exaggerated costs, with up to 30% of the contract value illicitly funneled back to the perpetrators in the form of unlawful kickbacks.
According to the Anti-Corruption Action Center, MP Oleksiy Kuznetsov of the Servant of the People party is among the defendants in the case. For the duration of the criminal investigation, his membership in the Servant of the People parliamentary faction will be suspended.
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine have issued formal suspicion notices to individuals involved in the corruption scheme surrounding the procurement of UAVs and electronic warfare equipment. Among those implicated are an MP and the former head of the Luhansk Regional State Administration.
Photo credit: Suspilne
Source: Corruption in drone and EW procurement: MP Kuznetsov arrested, bail set at UAH 8M
