Former deputy head of the President's Office granted over $430,000 bail during ongoing investigation into corruption allegations
Here's the Rewritten Article:
Andrii Smyrnov, ex-deputy head of the President's Office, walked out of the clutches of custody following a Hr 18 million ($433k) bail, as reported by Suspilne news outlet on May 6th. According to the High Anti-Corruption Court, Smyrnov was slapped with this pre-trial restraint a day prior, demanding Hr 18 million ($435k) bail until May 22nd.
"Unfair" was the word that Smyrnov used to describe the court's ruling when he spoke to Suspilne post-hearing. He confidently declared, "I'll fight to vindicate myself and prove my innocence."
Smyrnov is smack dab in the middle of an investigation, accused of laundering assets and accepting a bribe worth $100k. His stint as the President's Office deputy head spanned from September 2019 up until March 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky unceremoniously tossed him out without reason given.
Smyrnov's legal team claims the prosecution skimped on offering new evidence or justifying the need for detention, branding the request as "unsubstantiated." They maintain that the case has been lingering for over six months without making headway, and the evidence is far from compelling to warrant such drastic measures.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) alleges that Smyrnov acquired assets valued at more than Hr 17 million ($408k) between 2020-2022, yet his official income declaration for that period only claimed Hr 1.3 million ($31.2k).
Smyrnov's spending spree supposedly included two lavish cars, two motorcycles, several parking spaces, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in Zakarpattia Oblast. To dodge detection, NABU suggests that Smyrnov transferred the majority of his property assets to his brother but managed to maintain covert control.
Smyrnov faced fresh charges on April 16th. Between 2019 and 2021, he's accused of laundering nearly Hr 6.5 million ($156k) by funneling funds towards the construction of seaside homes in Odesa Oblast under a different company, according to NABU.
After his indictment in May 2024, the properties were re-registered under a trustee's name. Investigators insist that Smyrnov also pocketed $100k worth of construction services in 2022 by using his influence to manipulate a tender decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee in exchange.
Sources:[1] Suspilne. - https://bit.ly/IMgMwl [2] Suspilne. - https://bit.ly/5x2raTJ
- The High Anti-Corruption Court demanded a bail of Hr 18 million ($433k) for Andrii Smyrnov, who was released from custody on May 6th, as reported by Suspilne news outlet.
- In a post-hearing conversation with Suspilne, Smyrnov, who is embroiled in a crime-and-justice case, referred to the court's ruling as "unfair" and vowed to fight to clear his name and prove his innocence.
- Smyrnov's salary as deputy head of the President's Office, spanning from September 2019 to March 2024, did not appear to account for the Hr 17 million ($408k) in assets he allegedly acquired between 2020-2022, as claimed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU).
- The general-news outlet Suspilne reported that Smyrnov faces fresh charges, citing evidence that he laundered Hr 6.5 million ($156k) from 2019 to 2021, and accepted a bribe of $100k in 2022, as alleged by NABU.
