Ex-Naftogaz CEO Kobolyev to wear ankle monitor for two more months pending trial
Andriy Kobolyev (Photo:Нафтогаз України)
Ukraine’s High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has ruled to extend the pretrial restrictions for former Naftogaz CEO Andriy Kobolyev for another two months, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) reported on Telegram on April 18.
In particular, Kobolyev must:
- appear at every request to a detective, prosecutor, and court
- not leave Kyiv Oblast without the permission of a detective, prosecutor, or court
- notify a prosecutor, detective, or court about a change of a place of residence
- refrain from communicating with witnesses in the case
- hand over international passport(s)
- wear an ankle monitor.
The SAPO added that, according to the HACC’s Appeals Chamber ruling, Kobolyev must post UAH 230 million ($6.2 million) in bail and fulfill the obligations set out by the court.
“Despite the fact that the decision to apply this preventive measure was made on March 1, 2023, it has not been implemented yet as the funds have not been fully posted,” the anti-graft agency said.
On April 14, the HACC left the motion to extend the investigation period in Kobolyev’s case without consideration. His lawyers said that the court had already rejected the same motion on April 12, but the prosecutors resubmitted.
The HACC decided the pretrial restrictions for Kobolyev on March 14, including the ankle monitor and UAH 229.2 million in bail.
On Jan. 19, 2023, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the SAPO charged Kobolyev with abuse of office by arranging the payment of bonuses worth more than UAH 229 million back in 2018.
The prosecutor requested that Kobolyev be held in custody with bail set at UAH 365 million ($9.9 million).
The court, however, decided to not detain him. The SAPO appealed the ruling.
The SAPO said on March 7 that Kobolyev had not fully posted the bail, with only UAH 96.6 million ($2.6 million) paid.
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