Court arrests MP Odarchenko in absentia and confiscates UAH 15 million bail
23 September 2024 22:37
The court has recovered UAH 15 million of bail posted for fugitive MP Andriy Odarchenko. The judge also changed the MP’s preventive measure from bail to detention. This was reported by the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
After the person is detained and brought to the place of pre-trial investigation, the investigating judge will decide on the application of this measure of restraint.
The court also granted the prosecutor’s request to recover UAH 15 million in bail for the state.
At the hearing, the prosecutor said that Odarchenko had illegally crossed the border with Romania in Chernivtsi region outside the checkpoints. The defence stated that they did not know the MP’s whereabouts.
In addition, on 23 September, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine registered a draft resolution to recall Odarchenko from the Parliamentary Committee onAnti-CorruptionPolicy.
According to MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, Odarchenko remains a member of the Servant of the People faction.
What Andrii Odarchenko is suspected of
In November 2023, the NABU served Andriy Odarchenko with a notice of suspicion for attempting to bribe Mustafa Nayem, head of the State Agency for Reconstruction, in bitcoins. According to the agency, in return for the money, the MP asked for a decision to allocate money from the fund for the elimination of the consequences of Russian aggression to repair the buildings of the university where the MP was rector at the time.
In addition, the prosecutor’s office published his conversation with Nayem. In it, the MP said that he did not believe in Ukraine’s victory, and that Volodymyr Zelenskyi would be forced to negotiate with Russia, so the president wanted to hold elections before then.
Odarchenko himself stated that he had spoken to Nayem on “various topics” on several occasions, did not offer a bribe, and allegedly asked him to teach him how to use a crypto wallet.
The next day, the court imposed a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention with the possibility of bail in the amount of UAH 15 million.
on 23 November 2023, the Servant of the People suspended Odarchenko’s membership in the faction.
“This is a standard procedure that we apply in such cases. The final decision on him will be made based on the results of the investigation,” said party chairwoman Olena Shulyak.
On 24 November, the suspect exercised his right to be released on bail.
