Ex-head of the State Special Communications Service Shchyhol, MP Odarchenko and developer Kopystyra left the pretrial detention center on bail

Author:
Sofiia Telishevska
Date:

The former head of the State Special Forces Yuriy Shchyhol, MP from "Servant of the People" Andriy Odarchenko and the actual owner of the KSM-GROUP group of companies Serhiy Kopystyra left the pre-trial detention center on bail.

This was reported by the Anti-Corruption Center.

Shchyohlʼs bail is 25 million hryvnias, Odarchenko — 15 million hryvnias, Kopystyra — 100 million hryvnias. All of them are suspected of embezzling state funds and attempting to bribe state officials.

The case of Shchyhol

On the morning of November 20, the government dismissed Shchyhol from the post of head of the State Special Service. Viktor Zhora, his deputy in charge of digital development, digital transformations and digitalization, also lost his position.

After that, SAPO and NABU informed both about the suspicion of embezzlement of more than 62 million hryvnias of state funds. In total, six people are involved in the case. We are talking about the purchase of software for State Special Communications in 2021-2022. SAP claims that the software was purchased at inflated prices, and the participants transferred the difference to the accounts of controlled companies abroad in order to legalize and share it among themselves.

Shchygol denies the charges and is confident that he will be able to prove his innocence. On November 23, the High Anti-Corruption Court arrested Shchygol for two months with the possibility of paying a bail of 25 million hryvnias.

The case of Odarchenko

On November 21, Andrii Odarchenko, who is a member of the Councilʼs anti-corruption policy committee, was informed of the suspicion of an attempt to bribe the head of the State Agency for Reconstruction and Development of Infrastructure of Ukraine, Mustafa Nayem. It is about a bribe in Bitcoin cryptocurrency equivalent to $50,000.

According to the investigation, the Peopleʼs Deputy offered a bribe for the adoption by the interdepartmental working group of a decision on the allocation of funds from the fund for the elimination of the consequences of armed aggression for the repair of the buildings of the university, in which the peopleʼs elected representative continues to hold the position of rector (the contract has already been terminated). Odarchenko is named the rector of the State Biotechnology University.

On November 22, the State Security Council of Ukraine chose a precautionary measure for the Peopleʼs Deputy in the form of detention until January 20, 2024, with an alternative bail of 15 million hryvnias.

The case of Kopystyra

On the morning of November 24, the High Anti-Corruption Court took into custody the developer Serhiy Kopystyra (owner of KSM-GROUP), whom NABU and SAPO suspect of an attempt to bribe the Deputy Prime Minister for the Reconstruction of Ukraine — the Minister of Community Development, Territories and Infrastructure, Oleksandr Kubrakov.

An alternative preventive measure was determined for him — bail of 100 million hryvnias.

According to the investigation, Kopystyra, through the mediation of the director of the state-owned enterprise "Ukrkomunobslugovuvannya" Alla Suchon, tried to bribe Kubrakov in the interests of his company, which plans to develop a plot on Tiraspolska Street, 43, in Kyiv.

He allegedly offered the deputy prime minister 2% of the area of the future facility, which is 5,257 m² with an estimated cost of 170 million hryvnias, in exchange for not terminating the contracts between Ukrkomunobslugovovan and Citygasservice.

In the period from September 29 to November 17, Kopystyra provided a part of the bribe by issuing property rights to 15 apartments with a total area of 785 m² at 148 Akademika Zabolotny Street for Kubrakovʼs proxy. In addition, on November 10, he registered the ownership of one of these apartments. Kubrakov turned the developer over to NABU, and on November 21, they reported the suspicion.