"On Monday, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) filed a notice of suspicion against Andriy Yermak, the former head of the Ukrainian presidential office. Under Ukrainian law, this step is equivalent to filing charges in court. Yermak was accused of "money laundering as part of an organized group," a charge that can lead to a prison sentence of eight to 12 years."
"According to anti-corruption authorities, the group to which Yermak is alleged to have belonged is estimated to have laundered 460 million hryvnia (9 million/$10.5 million) in connection with a luxury construction project near the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv. Charges have also been filed against six other people. "This is a particularly serious crime," said SAPO head Oleksandr Klymenko at a press conference in Kyiv. "We are currently gathering evidence.""
"SAPO and NABU have also filed a motion with Ukraine's anti-corruption court, requesting two months of pretrial detention for Yermak. Authorities have requested two months of pretrial detention for Yermak (center, taking notes) Image: Igor Burdyga/DW On Thursday, the authorities followed through, taking Yermak into custody on money laundering charges and setting bail at $3.2 million ."
"According to investigators, the affair dates back to 2018 when one of the members of the accused criminal group became a co-founder of the company BLOOM Development, as evidenced in a video released by NABU. In the summer of 2019, the company acquired more than 4 hectares (about 10 acres) of land near Kyiv, beginning construction on a luxury housing complex named Dynasty two years later. Prosecutors have alleged that the site was used to funnel illicitly obtained funds back into the legal economic system, using fictitious documents, cash transactions and shell companies."
NABU and SAPO filed a notice of suspicion against Andriy Yermak, former head of the Ukrainian presidential office, for money laundering as part of an organized group. The charge carries a potential prison term of eight to 12 years. Prosecutors allege the group laundered about 460 million hryvnia connected to a luxury construction project near Kyiv. Six other people were also charged. SAPO and NABU requested two months of pretrial detention, and Yermak was taken into custody on Thursday with bail set at $3.2 million. Investigators trace the matter to 2018, when a group member became a co-founder of BLOOM Development. In 2019 the company acquired land near Kyiv and later began building the Dynasty luxury housing complex. Prosecutors allege illicit funds were funneled into the legal economy using fictitious documents, cash transactions, and shell companies.
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