Detained twice in EU: former mayor of Rakhiv, who had been on run from law, has been extradited to Ukraine (updated)
The former mayor of Rakhiv, who had been on an international wanted list for almost three years and had been detained twice in EU countries, has been extradited to Ukraine. Following his handover to the Ukrainian authorities, the court remanded him in custody, setting bail at approximately 333,000 UAH.
This has been reported by Censor.NET, citing the press office of the Prosecutor General’s Office.
Extradition of a suspect
On 10 September 2026, he was handed over to the Ukrainian authorities at the ‘Porubne’ border crossing on the Ukrainian-Romanian border. The extradition was facilitated through cooperation between the Office of the Prosecutor General, the Transcarpathian Regional Prosecutor’s Office and the competent authorities in Romania.
Following his arrival in Ukraine, the court ordered the suspect to be remanded in custody. At the same time, an alternative was set – bail of approximately 333,000 UAH.
The prosecution considers this amount of bail to be insufficient, given that the man had previously evaded justice. Consequently, the court’s decision regarding the amount of bail will be appealed.
According to the investigation, at the end of 2025, the former mayor was arrested in the Czech Republic and barred from leaving the country. However, he subsequently found himself in Romania, where he was arrested again. Once the necessary procedures had been completed, he was extradited to Ukraine.
The case of the mayor of Rakhiv
- According to the investigation, the former official may have been involved in inflating the cost of works during the construction of the rehabilitation and health centre.
- According to the documents, the work was carried out in full; however, the expert assessment found that the actual volume and cost of the work carried out did not match those declared.
- The former official was notified in absentia that he was suspected of embezzlement of another person’s property through abuse of office, committed as part of a prior conspiracy by a group of individuals, as well as of official forgery — under Part 4 of Article 191 and Part 1 of Article 366 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
Update
According to media reports, the investigating judge set an alternative measure of approximately UAH 333,000 in bail. As the prosecution clarified to Ukrainska Pravda, Rakhov has already posted bail and been released from custody.
The prosecution considers the bail amount insufficient and will challenge the decision on appeal. Prosecutors also stress that such an amount cannot ensure the suspect’s proper procedural conduct, given his previous attempts to evade justice.
