Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
A public official obstructed a raider-style seizure of assets and refused to follow unlawful orders.
New details emerged about pressure on the Ministry of Justice during a raider seizure of assets. According to the investigation, it was organized by former deputy head of the president's office Iryna Mudra, former deputy Maksym Mykyta, and Member of Parliament Vladyslav Stolar. It concerns the removal of the head of the Office for Antiraidery of the Ministry of Justice, Ihor Ponochovny, who refused to comply with illegal instructions. This is reported by Bihus.info citing investigative materials.
According to the investigation, Ponochovny knew about the forged documents during the re-registration of assets and refused to participate in the scheme. The investigation believes Mudra understood that his position hindered taking control of the real estate objects. As a result, she initiated his dismissal by reorganizing the antiraider y office.
Journalists also draw attention to an episode involving Deputy Minister of Justice Olena Ferens. She coordinated the work of this office and maintained friendly relations with Mudra. According to the investigation, Mykyta and Mudra considered pressuring Ferens. She could have been threatened with dismissal or the spread of compromising information through media under their control if she delayed reviewing complaints about the actions of registrars.
In the end, the company that Mykyta and Stolar were aiming for was re-registered in the name of Mykyta’s driver, Yehor Merkulov. This happened despite the Ministry of Justice having people who tried to counter the scheme.
According to Bihus.info journalists, these episodes indicate that the defendants used the Ministry of Justice’s opportunities not only to raid specific assets but also to remove officials who refused to help the scheme.
The case was dubbed Operation “Forrest Gump.” The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) accuse former deputy head of the president's office Iryna Mudra, former MP Maksym Mykyta, and MP Vladyslav Stolar of participating in a criminal organization. According to the investigation, the group was involved in raider seizures of real estate worth hundreds of millions of hryvnias and organized the legalization of 150 million hryvnias in cash to post bail for former energy minister Herman Galushchenko, who is suspected in the “Midas” case.
25 August, the High Anti-Corruption Court (VAKS) chose a pretrial restraint for Mudra in the form of detention with an alternative of a bail. The case materials also name an unnamed high-ranking official in the president's office, whose involvement in controlling the scheme is still being determined.
Meanwhile, another participant in the investigation, developer Vadym Stolar, recently returned to Ukraine from 300 million U.S. dollars for his own bail with plans to make a deal with the investigation.
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