The prosecutor is seeking detention with bail of UAH 200 million for Mykytas

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) is considering whether to impose a preventive measure on former Member of Parliament Maksym Mykytas, who is suspected of involvement in a scheme to launder UAH 150 million to post bail for one of the suspects in the "Midas" case. A prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is asking the court to remand the former MP in custody with the possibility of posting UAH 200 million bail, UNN reports.

Details

During the court hearing, the SAP prosecutor said it was necessary to apply the strictest preventive measure to Mykytas—detention. At the same time, the prosecution is asking the court to set an alternative in the form of UAH 200 million bail.

The defense, in turn, asked to postpone consideration of the motion until August 21. The lawyers explained that they had received the case materials only on the evening of August 19, and therefore needed additional time to review the documents and prepare their position.

It should be noted that Mykytas became one of the suspects in the NABU and SAP special operation dubbed "Forrest Gump," which the anti-corruption agencies announced on August 19.

Case details

According to the investigation, members of a criminal organization organized the laundering of a substantial amount of cash so that the money could subsequently be officially used to post bail for one of the suspects in a high-profile anti-corruption investigation. The sum in question is UAH 150 million, which investigators believe passed through a number of companies and financial transactions before the bail was posted, creating the appearance that the funds had a legitimate origin.

As part of the investigation, NABU released excerpts from recordings of conversations involving the suspects. In one of them, according to law enforcement, Maksym Mykytas discusses the mechanism for transferring the required funds through legal entities under his control. Investigators are examining how the cash reached the accounts of the companies that subsequently transferred it as bail, as well as the role of each participant in the scheme.

According to investigators and media reports, the money at the center of the "Forrest Gump" investigation was used to post bail for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, who is one of the suspects in another large-scale NABU and SAP investigation—the "Midas" case.

Earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court reduced Halushchenko’s bail from UAH 200 million to UAH 150 million. After that, the full amount was posted by several legal entities.

According to information published in the media, UAH 54 million was transferred by "Tetras Optima," another UAH 87 million by "Gyran Konstrakt," UAH 5 million by "Skyt Retail," and UAH 4 million by "Pelet Servis." The companies posted a total of exactly UAH 150 million. The origin of these funds became one of the key subjects of the anti-corruption agencies’ new investigation.

According to the detectives’ version, the participants in the scheme may have obtained cash and then moved it through companies and bank accounts under their control, giving the funds a formally legitimate status.

The "Forrest Gump" materials also mention other officials, Members of Parliament, and representatives of the banking sector. Journalists independently identified some of the individuals whose voices can be heard in the released recordings, but not all of them have official suspect status.

In addition, NABU and SAP  are investigating the possible involvement of certain suspects in attempts to influence law enforcement agencies and in establishing control over financial institutions that may have been used to conduct transactions involving the funds.

The investigation is paying particular attention to transactions through Sense Bank. After the case materials were released, the National Bank of Ukraine found that the bank’s supervisory board chairman, Mykola Hladyshenko, did not meet the independence requirements and demanded that his powers be terminated. The regulator also began assessing the collective suitability of the bank’s supervisory board.

Sense Bank itself said that it was cooperating with law enforcement and that the financial institution continued to operate as usual.

Let us emphasize that the “Midas” case, which is linked to the new investigation, concerns an alleged large-scale corruption scheme in the energy sector. According to NABU, tens of millions of dollars may have passed through entities connected to the scheme, while participants may have received illicit benefits from contracts involving energy-sector enterprises. Meanwhile, the “Forrest Gump” special operation became a separate offshoot of this investigation and is focused primarily on the origin of the funds used to secure the release from custody of one of the “Midas” suspects.

The pretrial investigation in the case is currently ongoing. All the circumstances outlined are the version of events held by the investigation, and the guilt of the suspects may be established exclusively by a court conviction that has entered into force.

Let us recall 

NABU and SAPO uncovered a new episode as part of the case involving an exposed criminal organization under the name Operation “Themis.” According to NABU and SAPO, the criminals interfered with the Justice Ministry’s networks and forged court and property documents.