The court has chosen a preventive measure for the former head of Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi
The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv considered the issue of a preventive measure for the former head of NPC “Ukrenergo” Volodymyr Kudrytsky. He was taken into custody for a period of two months as part of an investigation into a case of possible abuse of office and illegal appropriation of state company funds.
The court fully satisfied the prosecutor’s office’s request, sending Kudrytsky under arrest until December 26 with the right to post bail in the amount of 14 million hryvnias.
The former head of “Ukrenergo” are suspected of abuse of office due to signing a contract with a company to build a fence, which was never executed. The tender was held in 2018, after which the company received an advance payment. Subsequently, “Ukrenergo” returned the funds by collecting a bank guarantee issued for the advance payment.
Volodymyr Kudrytskyi denied all charges. He emphasized that the case materials do not contain any facts or documents that would confirm his influence or participation in the decision-making regarding the bank guarantee agreement between the company that won the tender and the “Concord” bank.
“It turns out that I am accused of the fact that Ukrenergo collected a bank guarantee from an unscrupulous contractor, protecting itself from losses”, — said Volodymyr Kudrytskyi.
At the beginning of the session, several people’s deputies expressed their willingness to take Kudrytskyi on bail. The courtroom was attended by people’s deputies from the “Voice” Yaroslav Zheleznyak, Inna Sovsun and Maksym Khlapuk, as well as representatives of the “Servant of the People” — Chairman of the Energy Committee Andriy Gerus and Head of the Parliament’s Anti-Corruption Committee Anastasia Radina.
The prosecutor, reading out the indictment, emphasized the risks that the suspect may be hiding, as he has three adult children and is potentially capable of traveling abroad. The prosecution demanded to choose a preventive measure in the form of detention with a bail of 13,730,000 hryvnias, as well as to oblige the suspect not to leave his place of residence without permission, to wear an electronic bracelet and to surrender his international passport.
Kudrytsky’s lawyer stated that the suspicion is unfounded, since the case only includes signed contracts and a handwriting examination without any other evidence. He drew attention to the fact that the report on the risks of flight and destruction of evidence is dated the same day as the detention — October 28 at 9:00, which casts doubt on the validity of the indictment. He also noted that none of the members of the Kudrytsky family had foreign passports with them.
The lawyer asked the court to refuse to grant the prosecutor’s motion, and also filed a request to take Kudrytsky on bail. The court accepted the motions from Inna Sovsun and Maksym Khlapuk, and rejected Yaroslav Zheleznyak’s application because he left the courtroom.
Volodymyr Kudrytsky himself called the motion unfounded and denied any intentions to evade the investigation, explaining that his family was planning a vacation. According to him, the case has been going on for seven years, and during this time he has never hindered investigative actions. Kudrytsky also emphasized his “impeccable business reputation in the energy sector”.
“I am going to prove that the suspicion is absurd. And that I didn’t even have any contact with people involved in illegal actions, — Kudrytskyi stated in court.
Recall that on October 28, in the Lviv region, employees of the State Bureau of Investigation detained the former head of NEC “Ukrenergo” Volodymyr Kudrytskyi. The SBI reported that he is suspected of committing a criminal offense under Part 4 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — fraud committed by a group of persons in a particularly large amount in a preliminary conspiracy.
