Ukrainian Agrarian Minister Solskyi taken into custody.

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) has imposed a preventive measure of detention on Agricultural Minister Mykola Solskyi.

Source: court hearing on Friday

Details: The HACC judge granted the motion of the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and imposed a preventive measure against Solskyi in the form of detention for 60 days (until 24 June 2024), but within the pre-trial investigation.

As an alternative to custody, the court set a bail of 75.7 million hryvnias (about US$1.9 million).

During the hearing on Thursday, the prosecutor initially asked the court to impose on Solskyi a pre-trial restraint in the form of detention with an alternative bail of 200 million hryvnias (US$5 million). The prosecution insisted on custody, arguing that 1) there is a risk of obstructing the investigation; 2) there is a risk of influencing witnesses; and 3) there is a risk of hiding from the investigation.

In the prosecutor's opinion, the severity of the offence is a reason to restrict the freedom of a person accused of such a crime. In addition, the prosecutor appeals to the fact that Solskyi repeatedly crossed the border during the martial law. As his lawyer later clarified, all of the border crossings were due to a working trip, and one was due to an officially agreed-upon leave.

Solskyi's lawyer pointed out that the prosecution did not explain why another type of preventive measure could not be applied to prevent the above risks. In particular, he appeals to the fact that Solskyi is an official who can travel abroad only with the consent of the prime minister, and the facts of his crossing the state border during martial law cannot in itself be a ground for restricting his freedom. Also, the practice of the European Court of Human Rights is that the severity of the charges cannot in itself be a ground for restricting liberty.

Moreover, according to the defence, there is no evidence that Solskyi could have obstructed the investigation or influenced witnesses. Regarding the amount of bail, the lawyer also asked the court to reduce it, as the amount of 200 million hryvnias is unaffordable given the taxes paid on the client's assets.

Background:

• On 25 April, Mykola Solskyi, Minister of Agrarian Policy, submitted his resignation. He is suspected of illegal transactions involving land worth 500 million hryvnias (US$12.5 million).
• Solskyi is also the former head of the Verkhovna Rada's Agricultural Committee, and he was caught in possession of state land worth 291 million hryvnias (US$7.3 million) and an attempt to seize land worth another 190 million hryvnias (US$4.8 million).
• In addition to Solskyi, his deputy, Markiian Dmytrasevych, who is currently on a working trip abroad in connection with Ukraine's negotiations on accession to the EU as part of the agricultural bloc, was also served with a notice of suspicion.
• Ekonomichna Pravda’s source who is close to Solskyi noted that Solskyi is a suspect in the episodes of 2017-2018, when he was practicing law.
• Solskyi commented on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine's announcement of suspicion and confirmed that the case against him relates to the period 2017-2018.

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