Court remanded Hrynkevych in custody with bail set at UAH 429 million
22 February 2024 16:42
The Kyiv Court of Appeal did not satisfy the appeal of Igor Grinkevich’s lawyers. The businessman was left in custody without bail being reduced, a 
from the courtroom.
Thus, the court upheld the decision of the court of first instance. Hrynkevych’s bail is set at UAH 429 million 440 thousand.
During the hearing, the defendant’s lawyers called the decision of the court of first instance illegal and unfounded, and the conclusions of the court of first instance erroneous.
They pointed out that Hrynkevych did not acquire the status of a suspect, as he was notified of suspicion by an unauthorised body. According to the defence, the Criminal Procedure Code does not provide that this case should be under the jurisdiction of the SBI. And the prosecutor’s decision on jurisdiction in the case is absent.
The defence lawyers also stressed that none of the contracts between Hrynkevych’s companies and the Ministry of Defence required 100% prepayment.
The prosecutors disagreed with the allegation of violation of the CPC requirements for determining jurisdiction in the case. Justifying their position on the need to keep him in custody, they pointed to the gravity of the offence charged against Hrynkevych and the risks that the businessman would hide from the investigation.
The court heard the parties and upheld the decision of the first instance court. The businessman will remain in custody and his bail will be set at UAH 429 million 440 thousand.
The Hrynkevych case
Ihor Hrynkevych is accused of supplying the Armed Forces of Ukraine with low-quality clothing worth UAH 1.2 billion.
The businessman was detained at the end of last year while trying to bribe one of the heads of the SBI’s Main Investigation Department. He allegedly offered USD 500,000 for assistance in returning the property seized from him.
According to SBI statements, 5 people have been detained so far, namely the two Hrynkevychs (father and son) and three employees of their companies. In mid-January 2024, they were notified of suspicion of creating and participating in a criminal organisation and of seizing another’s property by breach of trust (fraud) committed under martial law, on a particularly large scale, by a criminal organisation (Article 190(5), Article 255(1) and 255(1)(2) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).
The criminal actions were classified as fraud, as they were organised with the aim of seizing other people’s property (funds) through the conclusion of contracts with the Ministry of Defence by a number of controlled contractors for the purchase of goods, including clothing for the military. As a result, products of inadequate quality were delivered that could not be used for their intended purpose, which is qualified as fraud and breach of trust.
Amid the scandal, the Ministry of Defence cancelled all contracts with Hrynkevych’s companies, the last being Trade Lines Retail. And Hrynkevych’s wife, Professor Svitlana Hrynkevych, resigned from Lviv Polytechnic. Students demanded that the woman be suspended from the educational process for the period of pre-trial investigation of the case against her husband.
TheHrynkevychs’ case still does not involve any representatives of the Ministry of Defence, despite the fact that contracts were signed with the businessmen’s companies and advance payments were made.
