The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) clarified that, as of the latest hearing, no funds had been received as bail for former deputy head of the Office of the President Iryna Mudra. Earlier, the court had selected a preventive measure for her in the form of detention for 60 days, with the alternative of posting bail in the amount of 20 million hryvnias. This was reported to RBC-Ukraine directly by the HACC.

Preventive measure and bail amount

On August 25, the HACC officially selected a preventive measure for Mudra — detention for 60 days with the option to post bail of 20 million UAH. In parallel, according to court data, bail of 7 million hryvnias had already been posted for Viktor Dubovik, General Director for Legal Affairs of the Office of the President, who is also a subject of related cases, as defined by the court as an alternative to detention. Thus, as of August 26, one of the subjects had secured his release by posting bail, whereas the amount for Mudra had not been received by the treasury.

Contradictory data

Here the versions of the parties diverge. The HACC maintains that the 20 million hryvnias for Mudra have still not been received. However, earlier her lawyer Artem Krykun-Trush told Suspilne that part of the bail for his client had already been posted by several bail providers. In other words, one side (the court) records a complete absence of funds, while the defense claims a partial payment. Until the court officially confirms the actual receipt of at least part of the amount, this discrepancy should be considered unresolved: it may be a matter of a temporary lag between the time of payment and its registration, or the fact that the declared bail providers have not yet completed the procedure. For now, the official position of the HACC is that the money has not been received.

Charge and the “Forrest Gump” scheme

On August 19, the NABU and SAP notified Mudra of suspicion within the framework of the large-scale special operation “Forrest Gump,” aimed at exposing high-level corruption. According to the investigation, this concerns a criminal group that included officials of the Office of the President, current and former members of parliament, as well as executives of a state bank. Law enforcement officials claim that the group members organized the legalization of 150 million hryvnias: through shell companies, the funds were deposited into accounts to pay bail for one of the subjects of the “Midas” case. In the recordings of conversations, he is referred to by the name “German,” and the bail amount matches the size of the bail for former Energy Minister German Galushchenko. Mudra and Dubovik are subjects of the interrelated anti-corruption cases “Themis” and “Forrest Gump.”

Course of the hearings and defense motions

The hearing in the case began on August 21 and continued on August 24 and 25. The defense requested to postpone the proceedings by a week due to the deteriorating health condition of the suspect; the court partially granted the motion, moving the lawyers' statements to August 24. At the first hearing, Mudra's lawyers requested that the hearing be held in closed session, citing the disclosure of private information about her family life, however the HACC rejected this motion. Mudra herself reportedly stated that she would try to find the necessary amount for bail.

Dismissal from the Office of the President

On the same day, August 19, President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree dismissing Mudra from her position. In the Office of the President, she was, in particular, responsible for justice, legal policy, and coordination of work with international courts. Thus, by the time the preventive measure was selected, she no longer held a state position, which, nevertheless, did not affect the course of the anti-corruption proceedings.