Alexander Abakumov, head of the detectives' department at the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), stated that the current bail mechanism for high-ranking suspects in Ukraine has effectively turned into a "payment for silence" and a "cashback for the state." According to him, bail, which by law should guarantee the proper conduct of the suspect and the fulfillment of procedural obligations, has in practice become an "element of the criminal economy." The official emphasized that urgent legislative changes are required to rectify the situation, and the basis for these could be Bill No. 15388, registered on July 8, 2026.
Bail mechanism as an element of the criminal economy
According to Abakumov's assessment, tens and hundreds of millions of hryvnias are deposited as bail for top officials from the accounts of companies that formally have no relation to these individuals. He noted that these are "firms unknown to anyone with questionable economic activity." The founders and directors of such companies, he said, often cannot explain what they actually do and why they decided to deposit millions of hryvnias as bail for suspects. "They cannot, because behind the screen of such front people stand other people — the real beneficiaries of these companies. People who do not want their involvement to become known," explained the head of detectives.
Scheme through shell companies and cash legalization
According to NABU's version, the source of funds is cash accumulated as a result of illegal activities: it is effectively exchanged for non-cash funds that are already in company accounts. Abakumov pointed out that it is at this stage that financial monitoring should work, one of the key tasks of which is combating the legalization of criminal income. However, according to him, in practice, money is transferred, bail is deposited, and suspects are released. Accomplices, in his assessment, can use funds of criminal origin without proper verification of their legality to release another participant in the same criminal activity from custody.
The "Midas" case and the "service" rates
As an illustration, the head of detectives cited the "Midas" case, where, according to him, the rates for the service of depositing bail ranged from 10% to 30% of the total amount. "And then, in fact, bail becomes a payment for silence. Expenses of the criminal environment to preserve itself. Today they deposited bail and released a person who, according to the investigation, received millions of dollars in bribes. Tomorrow — they will help him violate the obligations imposed by the court, leave the country and live his best life somewhere abroad," Abakumov stated. He noted that under such conditions, bail "becomes a cashback for the state" and a "cashback from stolen assets".
Contradictory data
There are discrepancies in the names of investigated episodes in publications on the topic. The main text of the statement and a number of media outlets operate with the "Midas" case as the key example of the bail deposit scheme, while some materials (in particular, on pravda.com.ua) link the initiative to change bail deposit rules with the "Mudry case." In addition, in this context, Operation "Forrest Gump," announced on August 19, 2026, is mentioned. Thus, sources do not always uniformly identify the specific episode to which the statements about "payment for silence" are tied, which requires additional verification in further work on the topic.
Bill No. 15388 and required changes
Abakumov proposed using Bill No. 15388, registered on July 8, 2026, as a basis for reviewing the rules for determining and the procedure for depositing bail. According to him, the state must check the company that "suddenly decided to deposit tens of millions of hryvnias for a suspect": who is its real owner, where did it get this money, and what relationships connect the bail depositor with the suspect. It is also necessary to find out the legality of the origin of funds. Answers to these questions, in his conviction, must be obtained before "the money fulfills its function and the doors of the pre-trial detention center open." "Bail must remain an effective coercive measure, not a cashback from stolen assets," the official emphasized.
Context: Operation "Forrest Gump"
The statement was made against the backdrop of an anti-corruption operation: on August 19, 2026, NABU and the SAPO announced the conduct of Operation "Forrest Gump." Law enforcement officers exposed the activities of an organized group, which probably could include current and former People's Deputies, high-ranking officials of the Security Service of Ukraine, and other persons. One of the key episodes of the investigation was the legalization of 150 million hryvnias in cash: according to the investigation, funds were transferred through a number of accounts of controlled companies, and then used to deposit bail for one of the defendants in the "Midas" case.
