In France, the court of the city of Chambéry decided to release Ukrainian businessman and a former MP Kostyantyn Zhevago on bail of one million euros.
Reuters writes about it.
Zhevago stated in court that he had done nothing wrong and should not be extradited.
"I am in prison for the first time. I didnʼt do the things Iʼm accused of doing in this case, I donʼt deserve it. I ask for your permission to leave the prison before the next hearing, and I will do everything you asked," he noted.
Zhevago cannot leave France when he is released from custody. He must hand over his two passports to the authorities, report to the local police three times a week and answer subpoenas.
The court was originally supposed to hold a hearing on the billionaireʼs extradition on January 5, but Zhevagoʼs lawyers and the prosecutor said they needed more time to prepare. The judges set a new hearing date — January 19.
- Zhevago is a suspect in the case of embezzlement of over 2.5 billion hryvnias of the liquidated bank "Finance and Credit". Ukraine issued an arrest warrant for Zhevago in 2019, and an international warrant in 2021.
- In 2021, Forbes Ukraine estimated Zhevagoʼs fortune at $2.4 billion. As of the end of 2022, the publication estimated his capital at $1.4 billion.
- On December 28, 2022, he was detained at the ski resort of Courchevel in the French Alps and sent to extradition detention the next day. The issue of the return of the ex-MP to Ukraine is being resolved.