HACC is deciding on pretrial measure for Mudra: SAPO is requesting her arrest with bail set at 150 million hryvnias. VIDEO&PHOTOS
The High Anti-Corruption Court has begun a hearing to determine a preventive measure for Iryna Mudra, the former deputy head of the President’s Office.
This was reported by a Censor.NET correspondent.
Details
Mudra's defense team is requesting that the court hearing be held in closed session.
The attorney claims that the case file contains information that would lead to the disclosure of details about the suspect's personal and family life.
Mudra stated that her health had deteriorated in light of these events, which is why she supports the motion to hold a closed hearing.
"This is also included in the case file, so I support a closed hearing, since these circumstances and the conclusions of medical institutions will be presented," she noted.
Judge Ihor Strohyi denied the motion.
The defense's position
"My client is a living person; she has high blood pressure. Her health has significantly deteriorated following these events. The attorney is not disclosing the specific diagnosis. The client refused hospitalization because she respects the court and does not want to delay the proceedings," says the defense attorney.
The attorney requests additional time to review the case materials. According to him, a week should be sufficient, after which it will be easier for his client to defend her rights.
The judge partially granted the defense’s motion, so today the prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) will present his position, after which the court will adjourn until Monday, August 24.
During this time, the defense will have the opportunity to review the case materials.
The SAPO’s position
Prosecutor Vitalii Hrechyshkin is requesting that a preventive measure in the form of pretrial detention be imposed, with an alternative bail set at 150 million hryvnias.
Operation ‘Forrest Gump’
- It was previously reported that the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) are conducting a special operation to expose a criminal group involving MPs and senior officials from the Office of the President.
- According to media reports, as part of the announced special operation, NABU and the SAPO are carrying out searches at the home of Iryna Mudra, deputy head of the Office of the President.
- In addition, NABU detectives carried out searches at the home of Hladyshenko, chairman of the supervisory board of ‘Sense Bank’.
- Vadym Stolar, a Member of Parliament from the ‘Opposition Platform – For Life’ party, which has been banned by the court, confirmed that NABU and the SAPO are conducting searches at his premises as part of the ‘Forrest Gump’ special operation.
- NABU later stated that the case involved 150 million hryvnias in cash which, according to the investigation, had been channelled into the legal system via a series of accounts held by front companies to pay bail for one of the defendants in the ‘Midas’ case.
- Subsequently, the former deputy head of the Presidential Office, Iryna Mudra, confirmed that her premises were searched on 19 August; she was informed of the charges against her and served with a request for a preventive measure, but was not detained. She is preparing for the court hearing.
- On 20 August, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) released new recordings of conversations involving those implicated in the ‘Forrest Gump’ case — the second part of the investigation, entitled ‘Themis’. This concerns a scheme involving the hostile takeover of property and other assets through unauthorised interference with the Ministry of Justice’s information (automated) networks.
- On 20 August, a prosecutor from the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) named all the individuals implicated in NABU’s ‘Forrest Gump’ and ‘Themis’ operations.
