Anti-graft agency appeals against court ruling to release ex-Naftogaz head Kobolyev
Andriy Kobolev, former chairman of Naftogaz of Ukraine (Photo:НВ)
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) has appealed against a ruling of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) to refuse to impose a pre-trial restriction against former Naftogaz CEO Oleksiy Kobolyev, the agency reported on Facebook on Jan. 31.
“A SAPO prosecutor sent an appeal to the HACC’s Appeals Chamber against the decision of the HACC’s investigative judge on the refusal to impose a pre-trial restriction against former Chairman of the Board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, motivated, among other things, by the unfoundedness of the suspicion,” reads the report.
The SAPO prosecutors added they consider such a decision illegal and unfounded. They also believe that the investigation has gathered enough evidence regarding the risk of the suspects obstructing the pre-trial investigation.
The HACC’s Appeals Chamber will consider the prosecutor’s appeal on Feb. 8, 2023.
On Jan. 19, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine and the SAPO charged Kobolyev with the abuse of his official position to arrange for a payment of bonuses worth more than UAH 229 million ($6.2 million) back in 2018.
The prosecutor requested that Kobolyev be held in custody with an alternative bail of UAH 365 million ($9.9 million).
However, the court decided to leave him free.
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