Investigation did not cooperate with Mykytas to obtain recordings of Mudra’s conversations; this is impossible, - SAPO

The investigation did not cooperate with former MP Maksym Mykytas when it obtained recordings of a conversation involving Iryna Mudra, former deputy head of the President’s Office, as part of Operation ‘Forrest Gump’.

This was stated by the head of the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, Oleksandr Klymenko, in an interview on the YouTube channel ‘Ye Pytannia’, reports Censor.NET.

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Refuting the claim of cooperation with Mykytas

When asked about the version put forward by Mudra, a key figure in the case, who claimed that it was Mykyta who had recorded her conversations, thereby agreeing to cooperate with the anti-corruption authorities, Klymenko replied that the investigators had not involved the former MP in such work.

"We cannot disclose the methods and procedures of our work, as they constitute state secrets. However, if we are to rely on the law, it is impossible to cooperate with a person who is the organiser of a criminal organisation and commits serious and particularly serious crimes. This is, in principle, impossible. Therefore, this is merely the defence’s version of events," said the head of the SAPO.

About the investigation

According to the head of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the undercover investigation has been ongoing for over a year and is still continuing. Klymenko says that there is significantly more case material than has already been made public.

"If there is sufficient evidence, other individuals will be held to account. The actions of other staff at the President’s Office, employees of a banking institution and staff at the Ministry of Justice are being investigated — specifically regarding the episodes relating to corporate raiding," Klymenko stated.

Operation "Forrest Gump"

It was previously reported that NABU and the 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, the 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 ‘Forest 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.
On 21 August, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on former MP Maksym Mykytas in the form of detention, subject to the payment of 30 million hryvnias in bail.
On 25 August, Iryna Mudra was remanded in custody with the option of posting bail of 20 million hryvnias.