Operation Forrest Gump: MP Stolar says he has no intention of evading investigation or hiding
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Stolar is convinced that a "proper and objective investigation" will establish that his actions "show no signs of any criminal offense" (Photo: Stolar /Facebook)
Ukrainian MP Vadym Stolar, a suspect in the Forrest Gump case, said he has no intention of hiding, evading the investigation or obstructing criminal proceedings.
He also said he is in Ukraine and personally and voluntarily appeared in court after being summoned to take part in a hearing on a motion to impose a preventive measure.
"I believe this fact best demonstrates my attitude toward these proceedings: I have no intention of hiding, evading the investigation or in any way obstructing the criminal proceedings," the lawmaker wrote.
He said he was confident that a "proper and objective investigation" would establish that his actions "contain no elements of any criminal offense."
On Sept. 11, Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on lawmaker Vadym Stolar in the form of bail set at UAH 300 million without ordering him into custody.
The lawmaker faces up to 15 years in prison.
On Sept. 8, it became known that Stolar had returned to Ukraine.
On Aug. 19, Stolar confirmed that law enforcement officers were conducting searches at his home. According to media reports, he is implicated in NABU's Forrest Gump case involving an alleged scheme to launder UAH 150 million.
From 2019 to 2022, the lawmaker headed the Kyiv branch of the pro-Russian Opposition Platform — For Life party. He has also been the subject of numerous journalistic investigations into construction projects in Kyiv.
Operation Forrest Gump
On Aug. 19, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, or NABU, and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, or SAPO, announced Operation Forrest Gump, a special operation targeting a large-scale corruption scheme. The case involves, among other allegations, the laundering of UAH 150 million in cash to pay bail for one of the defendants in the Midas case, former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko.
Those implicated in the case include former deputy head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra, former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas and current lawmaker Vadym Stolar, formerly of the Opposition Platform — For Life party.
On Aug. 21, the court imposed preventive measures on Valentyn Yelizarov, former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas and Presidential Office Director General for Legal Affairs Viktor Dubovyk. They were ordered into custody with the option of bail. The following day, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on Iryna Mudra, ordering her into custody with the option of UAH 20 million bail.
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