Court to return UAH 80 million to Pashinsky’s pledging companies
2 September 22:59
The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has reduced the bail for former MP Serhiy Pashynsky by UAH 80 million. The court issued the relevant ruling on August 27, and the information was confirmed by the court’s spokeswoman Olesya Chemeris, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
The bail was reduced from UAH 272.52 million to UAH 192.52 million. Accordingly, UAH 80 million must be returned to the pledgers. We are talking about three companies that contributed funds in favor of Pashinsky:
- Melitopol Tractor Spare Parts Plant LLC;
- Ukrainian Armored Vehicles LLC;
- Radionics LLC.
These companies are related to the defense industry.
Context of the “Pashynskyi case”
MP Serhiy Pashynskyi is suspected of seizing oil products that previously belonged to businessman Serhiy Kurchenko and were transferred to state ownership. The investigation estimates the value of these assets at UAH 817 million.
In February 2024, the HACC imposed a measure of restraint in the form of detention with the right to post bail in the amount of UAH 272.52 million. The funds were paid by the above-mentioned companies, after which Pashinsky was released.
In March 2025, the court upheld the suspect’s obligations, but allowed him to move freely within the territory of Ukraine.
Why the bail was reduced
The court probably took into account the change in risks and the defense’s arguments about excessive financial pressure on the bailors.
In fact, the new bail amount remains one of the largest in the history of Ukrainian anti-corruption proceedings, but the reduction by UAH 80 million may indicate a partial “softening” of the court’s position.
The case is important on several levels.
Legal practice. Reducing the bail may set a precedent for future cases involving large sums and influential suspects.
Business image. For the defense companies that have paid the bail, the decision to return part of the bail means a reduction in financial risks.
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Political dimension. Cases against former high-ranking officials and MPs remain an indicator of how the anti-corruption system works. Even a partial reduction of bail can be interpreted in different ways: as a manifestation of court flexibility or as a signal of easing pressure.
What is known about Serhiy Pashynskyi
Former Ukrainian MP Serhiy Pashynskyi has gained notoriety as a controversial figure due to a number of high-profile scandals in which he was involved. For example, on December 31, 2016, he had a conflict with Vyacheslav Khimikus, a resident of Kyiv region, during which Pashynskyi shot him in the leg with a firearm. In 2021, the then MP was acquitted and the case against him was closed. It was also reported that Khimikus was paid UAH 1.5 million in compensation, after which he withdrew his claims against the MP
The most recent allegations against Pashynskyi relate to the fact that he allegedly profited from the supply of weapons to the Ukrainian army on the eve and at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. In 2022, the revenues of Ukrainian Armor, a weapons company that supplies weapons to the Armed Forces and is linked to Pashynsky, skyrocketed more than a hundredfold, reaching 13 billion hryvnias ($350 million). The SBI and NABU opened criminal proceedings and conducted searches in the cases. At the beginning of his presidential term, Volodymyr Zelenskyy even called Pashynskyy “100% bandit.”
At the same time, as the New York Times claimed in its own investigation, Pashynsky secured critical weapons for the Ukrainian army at the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, when there was no military assistance from the West.
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