The bail for Yulia Tymoshenko has been paid in full: who paid the 33 million hryvnia?
23 January 23:16
The full amount of bail, more than 33 million hryvnia, has been paid for Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the Batkivshchyna faction, who is a defendant in criminal proceedings concerning the possible bribery of Ukrainian MPs. This was reported by Transparency International Ukraine on Telegram, citing the press service of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), according to "Komersant Ukrainian".
“The full amount of bail has been paid for Yulia Tymoshenko,” the message says.
HACC decision and Tymoshenko’s statement
On January 16, the High Anti-Corruption Court chose a preventive measure for Yulia Tymoshenko in the form of bail in the amount of over 33 million hryvnia.
During a subsequent court hearing, where the prosecutor’s motion to seize property was considered, the MP stated that she was unable to pay the bail herself because her bank accounts were frozen.
Who paid the bail for Tymoshenko
According to the Schemes project (Radio Liberty), citing sources in law enforcement agencies, the bail for Yulia Tymoshenko was paid by 10 individuals, with payments ranging from 180,000 to 8 million hryvnia.
Among them was Kostyantyn Bondarev, a member of parliament from the Batkivshchyna party, who is considered one of the party’s main sponsors. He paid 5 million hryvnia in bail.
In addition to People’s Deputy from Batkivshchyna Kostyantyn Bondarev and entrepreneurs associated with him, Oksana Fetisova and Serhiy Rabchuk, who together contributed about 19 million hryvnia, Oleksiy Valeriyovych Peshyi contributed 2 million 75 thousand hryvnia. A person with this name also has a license to practice law and manages a number of construction companies.
The publication “Our Money” wrote that Oleksiy Valeriy Peshy’s father was a member of the Irpin City Council from the “Batkivshchyna” party in 2010-2015. He also headed the Irpin Department of Land Resources. The media reported that Valery Peshy and Oleksiy Peshy were allegedly involved in land theft in Irpin.
A person named Yevgeny Vasilyevich Zykov is listed on the Council’s website as an assistant to Deputy Bondarev on a voluntary basis. He posted more than 4 million hryvnia in bail. Another 3 million 220 thousand hryvnia was posted by Lilia Zykov, his wife.
Mykhailo Mykolayovych Puyo also paid 726,000 hryvnia in bail. He is the former director of the company Kamin Dekor Bud. The previous head of the same company ran for election to the Verkhovna Rada from the Batkivshchyna party.
Another 3 million 850 thousand hryvnias were paid by Olena Mykolayivna Bondarenko. There are dozens of women with this name in Ukraine. 199 thousand hryvnias were added by Vladislav Mykolayovych Repeshko, an individual entrepreneur from Dnipro, who trades in building materials and regularly participates in local tenders.
Yulia Tymoshenko’s reaction
Yulia Tymoshenko thanked the party team on social media for helping to raise funds. She stressed that the bail amount set by the court was “unaffordable” for her and that she was able to pay it only thanks to the support of her fellow party members.
The MP also stated that despite procedural restrictions, she intends to continue to perform her duties as a member of parliament and represent the interests of her constituents.
“We want to destroy this majority,” – NABU tapes
On January 14 , NABU released audio recordings of conversations which, according to the investigation, are evidence of negotiations regarding such a scheme. The recordings feature a voice that, according to detectives, sounds like Yulia Tymoshenko’s.
Anti-corruption authorities say that these materials formed the basis for the notification of suspicion. At the same time, the final assessment of the evidence must be provided by the court.
The conversations on the NABU tapes suggest that the person with a voice similar to Tymoshenko’s is discussing the start of cooperation with a group of three MPs and directly explaining the motives.
The conversations are dated January 12, the day before the party’s office was searched.
In the recordings, both speak Russian. Tymoshenko, in particular, says that on the issue of personnel changes, her deputies only vote for removal from office, but do not vote for appointments. Also, Batkivshchyna deputies vote to include bills on the agenda, but do not vote on the documents themselves, in order to “kill” them.
What Tymoshenko says about the NABU accusations
The leader of Batkivshchyna refuted the NABU accusations, calling them unfounded and unproven. According to her, more than 30 detectives in full gear and armed came to the party’s office at 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, January 13. The MP claims that she was alone in the office at the time, which did not even have security. According to her, law enforcement officers arrived at the party’s office in five buses.
She stated that NABU employees did not have search warrants with them.
The MP also said that her parliamentary documents and personal savings, which she claims are reflected in her declaration, were seized.
What is known about the Tymoshenko case
On January 13, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office reported the exposure of the leader of one of the Verkhovna Rada factions for offering illegal benefits to MPs from other political forces for voting “for” or “against” specific bills.
The SAPO statement emphasizes that this is a preliminary legal assessment and that only a court can make final conclusions. The preliminary classification is Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (offering, promising, or providing illegal benefits to a public official), which carries a penalty of 4 to 8 years’ imprisonment.
