Tymoshenko’s Bail Reduced by 125 Times: Court Will Return Over 33 Million Hryvnias

The High Anticorruption Court sharply reduced the amount of bail for Batkivshchyna leader Yulia Tymoshenko—from 33,28 million to 266 240 hryvnias. The decision will allow returning to bailors more than 33 million hryvnias that were previously paid on behalf of the politician.

This was reported by Ukrainska Pravda.

The decision to reduce the bail was made by Judge Oleg Tkachenko of the High Anticorruption Court. He partially granted the defendants’ lawyers’ motion to reassess the preventive measure.

During the session, the politician herself asked the court to reduce the bail to 266 240 hryvnias. She emphasized that she is requesting a change to the previously applied preventive measure, which provided for the payment of more than 33 million hryvnias.

Tymoshenko’s defense argued that there are no grounds to keep such a large bail. Lawyers explained that the politician properly fulfilled all procedural obligations imposed on her, and the risks that led the court to impose a high amount have diminished over time.

An additional argument was the need to return money to people who posted bail. According to the lawyers, bailors need these funds for treatment and restoration of damaged housing.

The prosecutor opposed such a substantial reduction, but the court partly supported the defense. As a result, the bail amount was reduced exactly by 125 times, and Judge Oleg Tkachenko’s ruling is not subject to appeal.

The criminal proceeding is related to an alleged proposal of an improper benefit to lawmakers for votes on certain bills. 14 January the National Anti-Corruption Bureau reported the suspicion to the head of one parliamentary faction, and MP Oleksiy Hontcharenko stated that this concerns Tymoshenko.

After searches at the Batkivshchyna office, the politician rejected the charges and called the actions of NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office political pressure. She also stated that during the investigative actions law enforcement officers did not find evidence of offenses.

16 January VAKS set Tymoshenko’s bail at 33,28 million hryvnias and imposed a number of restrictions. In particular, the politician had to surrender her foreign passport, not leave Kyiv region, and refrain from communicating with a specified circle of deputies.

23 January bail was paid in full for Tymoshenko. In April, the court, in a separate decision, allowed her to travel to Croatia to participate in an international event.