The court sent the former head of the Luhansk OVA and Mukachevo RDA, Gaidai, to pretrial detention

Higher Anti-Corruption Court chose preventive measure for the former head of the Luhansk Regional Military Administration and ex-head of the Mukachiv RDA Serhiy Gaidai. He was sent to the pre-trial detention center for 60 days with the possibility of making a bail of 10 million hryvnias. Gaidai is suspected of embezzling funds during the procurement of drones and electronic warfare equipment for the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Several other persons are also involved in the case.

At the beginning of the meeting, Gaidai’s defense petitioned to postpone the hearing, citing the lack of an extract from the EDPR and the fact that the suspect was allegedly detained “illegally.” In response, the prosecutors objected to the postponement of the meeting and asked to take Gaidai into custody for 60 days with the right to a bail of more than 30 million hryvnias. The investigating judge agreed with the arguments of the prosecution and continued the case.

During his speech, the prosecutor stated that Gaidai can put pressure on witnesses and other suspects:

“There is also a risk of obstructing the pre-trial investigation in another way. We come to the conclusion that the only preventive measure is to keep Gaidai in custody. But since this category of cases requires a bail, we ask that it be set at 30,280,000 hryvnias.”

In turn, lawyer Ivanets asked the court to choose a preventive measure in the form of personal commitment or house arrest.

Gaidai himself claimed during the meeting that he cooperated with the investigation and provided access to his phone, apartment in Kyiv, and office in Mukachevo:

“Theoretically, I could create some grounds and make myself a business trip. But I’m here.”

During the trial, a number of military personnel of the State Border Service expressed their readiness to take Gaidai as bail. Among them: Valery Vavrynyuk — Major General, head of the Western Regional Department of the State Security Service; Viktor Latkin is a senior driver; Oleksandr Nesterenko — commander of the military unit; Valentyn Manukhin — tactical group commander; Oleksandr Osypets — chief of the 27th border detachment, v. at. the head of the 3rd border detachment.

After hearing the arguments, the court partially satisfied the request of the prosecutors and decided to take Gaidai into custody for two months with the alternative of paying a bail of 10 million hryvnias. In the case of depositing funds, he will be charged with the following obligations: not to leave Uzhgorod, to surrender foreign passports, not to communicate with witnesses and other suspects.

Lawyers have already announced their intention to file an appeal, stressing that Gaidai does not have the personal funds to pay the bail.