Court keeps Kolomoisky in custody, lowers bail amount
The courts have ruled to keep Ukrainian
oligarch Ihor
Kolomoisky in custody but lowered the bail amount to UAH 2.7 billion ($97
million), public broadcaster Suspilne reported via Telegram on Dec. 21.
Following the ruling, Kolomoisky will remain in custody until at least Jan. 26, 2024.
His lawyers requested Kolomoisky to be instead kept under house arrest due to their client's deteriorating health.
Eight individuals were willing to vouch for Kolomoisky, including TV presenter Alla Mazur, who works at 1+1 TV channel, owned by the oligarch.
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv issued on Sept. 2 a preventive measure for Ihor Kolomoisky, ordering his detention for a period of 60 days in Dnipro. He was granted the option to secure his release by posting bail.
On Sept. 2, Ukraine’s SBU security service, in collaboration with the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI) and the Prosecutor General’s Office, formally charged Kolomoisky with money laundering and illicit asset gains. From 2013 to 2020, Kolomoisky allegedly laundered over half a billion hryvnias by transferring funds abroad, utilizing the financial infrastructure of banks under his control, the SBU said.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) on Sept. 7 charged Kolomoisky and five others of suspicion in embezzling over 9.2 billion hryvnias from PrivatBank ($247 million).
The SBU states that during that period the scheme enabled him to amass a total of UAH 5.8 billion, equivalent to over $700 million.
On Nov. 28, the detention for Kolomoisky was extended to Jan. 26, 2024.
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