Corruption in the Ukrainian government? Minister Solskyi is released from custody but offers his resignation

The Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, Mykola Solskyi, was released from custody on Friday after posting a bail of £1.6 million. The Ministry of Agriculture's press service announced his release.

"The Minister of Agricultural and Food Policy of Ukraine, Mykola Solskyi, was released on bail of £1.6 million. The High Anti-Corruption Court set the bail amount. Mykola Solskyi was released from custody and continues to serve as the Minister of Agricultural and Food Policy of Ukraine," reads the statement on Telegram.

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine issued an arrest warrant for Minister Solskyi. The charge was the illegal acquisition of state lands valued at about £5.8 million. In response, the minister tendered his resignation on Thursday.

On Friday, a judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court agreed to the request of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office and applied a preventive measure against Solskyi in the form of temporary detention for 60 days until June 9 (Greenwich Mean Time) as part of the preparatory proceedings. However, the judge allowed for the possibility of the minister's release on bail.

During the hearing on Thursday, a prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office requested the temporary detention of Solskyi, arguing that there is a risk of him obstructing the investigation, influencing witnesses, and dodging the investigation.

The prosecution believes that "the gravity of the offence" is a sufficient reason to restrict the freedom of a person accused of such a crime. Additionally, Solskyi crossed the border several times during martial law. As later explained by his lawyer, all border crossings were due to business trips, and one was an officially agreed-upon vacation.

Prosecutors informed on Thursday that Solskyi could face up to 12 years in prison if found guilty.

Ruslan Stefanchuk, the Speaker of the Ukrainian parliament, announced that Solskyi, who is suspected of corruption, has resigned, and his application will be voted on soon.

The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) on Tuesday announced that Solskyi is suspected of illegally acquiring land worth £5.8 million and of attempting to illegally seize land valued at about £3.3 million.

Solskyi denied these allegations. He stated that the events he is accused of took place in 2017-2018, when he was a lawyer and not serving as a minister.