Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court has arrested former Deputy Energy Minister Oleksandr Hale with the possibility of bail at UAH 25 million. The hearing to choose a measure of restraint was broadcast on the court’s YouTube channel, Komersant ukrainskyi
reports
As you know, on 12 August, Hale was caught taking a half-million dollar bribe. The same day, the Cabinet of Ministers dismissed Hale from his post.
According to the investigation, he demanded money for granting permission to export mining equipment from the frontline area.
The hearing was attended by the corruption suspect, his defence lawyers, and the prosecution.
The prosecution requested that the former Deputy Energy Minister be arrested with the possibility of being released on UAH 30 million bail.
Hale was arrested for 60 days – until 8 October inclusive.
If he pays the bail, Oleksandr Hale will be subject to a number of obligations. In particular, he will have to wear an electronic bracelet, hand over his passports for safekeeping, not leave Kyiv and Kyiv region without permission, report changes of residence and work, and refrain from communicating with other suspects in the case and witnesses.
The Anti-Corruption Action Centre reported that, in addition to Halushchenko’s deputy, Hale’s trustee Serhiy Pylypchuk, former director of Selydivuhillya Serhiy Kobylyatsky, and the manager of Mykolaiv Electricity Supply Company Yevhen Lut are currently suspects in the case.
According to the prosecutor, Halo was responsible for the activities of coal enterprises at the Energy Ministry, in particular, for the efficiency of Selydivuhillya and Volynvuhillya.
The AntAC reports that on 25 July, Pavel Tanchev, a trustee of Hungryn, handed over the first $100,000 to Kobylatsky. The funds were transferred at the Ukraina Hotel in the centre of Kyiv. the second tranche was supposed to be transferred to him a week later. Since Kobylyatsky was not in Kyiv and was in Pokrovsk, the money was transferred through another intermediary, Yevhen Luta.
This took place in the car park of the River Mall. Then Lut went to meet Pylypchuk. They met in a car. According to the investigation, Lut handed over the money to Pylypchuk there.
The detention took place a week later, during the transfer of the third part of the bribe and a meeting between Lut and Pylypchuk at the Fabius restaurant.
According to the prosecutor, $40,000 was found in Kobylyatsky’s possession. Pylypchuk was also found to have $2,000 in identified funds.
The AntAC also reports that the HACC also took Pylypchuk into custody with an alternative bail of UAH 65 million. The prosecution requested UAH 100 million.
According to the investigation, money was transferred through Pylypchuk, which the investigation calls an undue benefit for the decision to transfer equipment for coal mining.
Out of the $300,000 in bribes transferred, $142,000 was found. Another $158,000 has not yet been found.
During his speech, Pylypchuk called it a provocation. He said that he had agreed with the deputy minister of a European country on 1 gigawatt of electricity.
Former MP from the Svoboda party Eduard Leonov wanted to bail Pylypchuk out.