HACC continues considering preventive measure for Yermak. VIDEO
The High Anti-Corruption Court is deciding on a preventive measure for Andrii Yermak, the former head of the President’s Office.
This was reported by a correspondent for Censor.NET.
Details
After the closed part of the hearing, the court continued in open session.
The prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office continued her speech.
Veronika Fedorivna Anikievich, the prosecutor noted, is the person with whom Yermak coordinated appointments to various positions. It was previously reported that she is listed in his phone as "Veronika Feng Shui Office."
The prosecutor quoted several lines from conversations between MP Tyshchenko and Yermak’s personal driver, Abramov.
"Look, Andrii (expletive), his buddy (expletive), but who’s he going to end up with? He’s up in space. And Lunchenko sent over 312 billion—you can’t earn that kind of money. And he also took the governor away from me and gave him to some other guy," she quotes Tyshchenko as saying.
According to the prosecution, on December 24, 2025, Yermak sent a message to "Veronika Fengshui" mentioning the surnames of Klymenko and Kryvonos—the heads of NABU and SAPO.
She replied, "I'm very angry today. So I apologize in advance for being so sharp. But on the other hand, my sharpness will put you in a different frame of mind. For the past few months, you haven't escalated the situation or responded to their attacks. Both of you are being psychologically tormented. The situation is getting worse, but you remain silent. What needs to happen for you to start taking action? When they’re done with you, they’ll start on him. If you keep burying your head in the sand, that’s exactly what will happen. The situation is such that it’s either you or them."
In response, Yermak sent her the following text: "Fiala, Ukrainska Pravda, Tkach, Musaeva, Zhelezniak, Arakhamia, Honcharenko. I’m ready for anything. I’m ready tomorrow."
Veronika also wrote to Yermak: "You are now worried about the paper and about arrest. This is unpleasant, but right now they have no serious evidence against you. After that, you will have the moral and legal right to destroy them. But if they gain power, they will act more seriously, and there will be no friend-guarantor and no broad powers. The best thing would be if you manage and are able to leave the country. Think about that. And about the fact that if you could be taken back a month or two, you would act completely differently."
Chervinskyi
The prosecutor stated that she had been contacted by Roman Chervinskyi, who could testify regarding Yermak’s ability to exert pressure. She filed a motion to call Chervinsky as a witness.
The defense argued that Chervinsky is not a witness in the "money laundering" case.
The prosecutor requested that Chervinskyi’s motion be reviewed.
"If there are other individuals who are aware of facts that may be relevant to these proceedings, they may contact the NABU," Hrebeniuk added.
Judge Nohachevskyi dismissed the motion to question Chervinskyi.
Statement by Yermak’s defense team
Attorney Fomin noted that the case is "landmark" for the state.
The defense lawyer said he was not even sure whether any preventive measure should be applied to Yermak at all.
The lawyer said the case concerned a real estate property that was an unfinished construction project.
Ownership rights arise only after any real estate property is registered with the state. Only from that moment can a person acquire ownership rights. Accordingly, the claim in the notice of suspicion that Yermak has ownership rights to the property is untrue. It is refuted by the requirements of the law, Fomin noted.
According to the lawyer, all these land plots have no connection to Yermak.
The defense lawyer said that all 16 volumes were "papers consisting of inspection reports on telephone communication devices".
Fomin also said that the 16 volumes contain "not a single expert examination" and do not include any evidence in the case.
The defense said the prosecution materials contain no conversation in which Yermak communicated with other figures in "Mindichgate".
The defense lawyer complained that some MPs had pressured the prosecution by constantly asking in public: "When will Yermak be served with a notice of suspicion?"
Fomin said that the NABU detective already knew what was in Yermak’s apartment because he had allegedly conducted a search there earlier.
The defense considers the bail amount of UAH 180 million to be high, since Yermak owns only an apartment and a 2019 car, while his income is only about UAH 10 million.
The lawyer submitted a certificate from the National Agency on Corruption Prevention, which stated the results of a review of the former head of the Office of the President’s declaration. It found no violations and established no signs of illicit enrichment.
The Ukrainian National Bar Association provided a character reference for Yermak, which the defense lawyer read out:
"He takes an active part in the work of bar self-government bodies ... lawyer Yermak has proven himself to be a highly qualified, principled and responsible specialist with an impeccable business reputation. ... a high level of legal culture, balance, consistency in protecting human rights and adherence to the standards of legal ethics."
Also, the lawyer cited a statement by a National Guard colonel, which says that Yermak leads the Advocate+ project, which provides legal assistance to servicemen, as well as statements by a number of other people who thank the former head of the Office of the President for help, including legal assistance.
The defense asks the court to recognize the notice of suspicion as unfounded. It also asks that the bail amount be set within the limits provided by law.
Yermak’s statement
"I support everything my defense lawyer has said. I deny all accusations. My property is limited to what is listed in my declaration. It has been checked.
During that time, from 5 a.m. on February 24, 2022, and for practically two and a half years, I was there around the clock, leaving only for business trips with the president; otherwise, I lived there (in the Office of the President) and stayed there around the clock," he said.
He also denied ever instructing anyone to represent him anywhere.
"Today, I am not a civil servant and I have the right to a private life and to some communication. ... A lot is happening, surveillance of me, recording," Yermak added.
Personal surety
It is known that one person expressed a wish to take Yermak on personal surety. However, this person did not appear at the hearing, so the motion was left without consideration.
The judge did not announce the person’s surname.
The court hearing secretary said the decision on what preventive measure will be chosen for Yermak will be announced on May 14 at 9:00 a.m.
Yermak suspected in the "Dynasty" case
- As a reminder, on the evening of 11 May, NABU and the SAPO announced that they had placed Andrii Yermak, the former head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, under suspicion. According to the investigation, between 2021 and 2025, over 460 million hryvnias were laundered through a scheme involving the "Dynasty" cooperative
- NABU stated that the participants in the "Dynasty project" agreed to build four private residences on the plots for their own personal use. Each house covered an area of around 1,000 square metres, and the cost of a single house was approximately $2 million. These houses were designated R1, R2, R3 and R4. They also agreed to build a shared estate, R0, featuring a spa area, a swimming pool and a gym.
-
The bulk of the construction was financed with funds obtained through criminal means. To this end, individuals under the control of Oleksiy Chernyshov set up a front company to place the orders.
-
After the full-scale invasion began, construction did not stop but actually continued at an even faster pace. Chernyshov demanded that the builders work faster and operate in multiple shifts. Yermak oversaw the construction of his own residence.
-
Following media reports about ‘Dynasty’, the owners of the residences attempted to remove the land and property from potential seizure. However, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a seizure order on the land plots and five unfinished ‘Dynasty’ properties. The NABU and the SAPO also carried out an inspection of the cottage complex.
- The Office of the President, commenting on the allegations, stated that legal proceedings are still ongoing, so it is too early to make any assessments.
- Yermak’s lawyer, Ihor Fomin, also stated that the allegations were groundless.
- Yermak declined to comment on the allegations and noted that he owns no houses, only a flat and a car.
- It is known that the High Anti-Corruption Court has seized land plots and unfinished properties belonging to ‘Dynasty’.
- Yermak links the notification of the allegations against him by the NABU to "public pressure on law enforcement agencies".
