Ukrainian Agriculture Minister arrested over multi-million-pound land scandal
26 April 2024 10:03
On Friday (April 26th), the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine ordered the arrest of the Minister of Agriculture, Mykola Solsky. This is in connection with allegations of illegally acquiring state lands valued at approximately 5.6 million pounds. Solsky had resigned on Thursday before this development.
The court has set his bail at 1.53 million pounds (75.7 million hryvnias). After paying this amount, Solsky will be permitted to leave jail.
The judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court agreed on Friday to the request of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and applied a preventive measure in the form of temporary arrest for a period of 60 days, ending on June 24th, as part of the preliminary proceedings - reports PAP.
During the hearing on Thursday, the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office requested the temporary arrest of Solsky. He suggested that there is a risk of Solsky obstructing the investigation, influencing witnesses, and also hiding them from the investigation.
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The prosecution argues that the "seriousness of the crime" justifies restricting the freedom of a person accused of such an act. Furthermore, Solsky has repeatedly crossed the border during martial law. His lawyer later clarified that all border crossings were for business travel, with one being for an officially sanctioned holiday.
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Mykola Solsky's arrest: What are the implications?
If convicted, Solsky could face up to 12 years in prison. The Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture has already resigned, with his resignation pending approval soon.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) announced on Tuesday that Solsky is suspected of illegally acquiring land worth approximately 5.6 million pounds (291 million hryvnias). Additionally, he is accused of attempting to illegally seize land valued at around 3 million pounds (190 million hryvnias) - emphasizes PAP.
Solsky has denied these accusations. He stated that the events described by NABU occurred in 2017-2018, at which time he was practicing as a lawyer and was not serving as a minister.
