A Pechersk district court judge ordered two months of pre-trial detention or Hr 5.1 million in bail for former Justice Minister Olena Lukash, arrested on Nov. 5 on suspicion of corruption during her tenure in office under ousted President Viktor Yanukovych.
Lukash told courtroom reporters that her “friends and colleagues” will post bail since the amount set is too big for her to pay.
Just hours later ex-Chief of Presidential Administration Andriy Portnov wrote on his Facebook page that the bail for Lukash was paid. He said that Vadim Novinsky, a millionaire and lawmaker with Opposition Bloc, paid the bail. There was no confirmation from authorities or Lukash yet.
“We demand to execute trial’s ruling immediately and release Olena Lukash from custody,” he wrote on his Facebook page. “Many thanks to good man Vadim Novinsky for help and quick response.”
During the bail hearing, Judge Roman Novak was told by prosecutors that Lukash had not been residing at her registered address and was only communicating with investigators by mail through her lawyers.
Urging the judge to take her in pre-trial custody for not cooperating with investigators, prosecutors said they last communicated directly with her four months ago.
Lukash was arrested on suspicion of embezzling Hr 2.5 million of public funds and of committing forgery while serving as justice minister in 2013-2014.
She is also considered as a witness in crimes committed during the EuroMaidan Revolution that prompted Yanukovych to flee power.
Lukash denied all the accusations. While waiting for the arraignment to start in court, Lukash said that she did not embezzle state funds. “It is all fabricated,” she told Ukrinform news agency during a recess in the trial.
Lukash also noted that she has no intentions to flee from Ukraine. “I’m not going to leave this country. If I wanted to do it, I would have done it a long time ago,” she said during trial.
According to SBU spokeswoman Olena Hitlyanska, Lukash had been hiding out in a private residence on the outskirts of Kyiv, which was registered to a member of her family.
“It is noteworthy that after the appearance of the SBU officers in the yard of the house, Olena Lukash declared her readiness to cooperate with the investigation,” Hitlyanska wrote on her Facebook page on Nov. 5.
Lukash, to the contrary, has been cooperating with the investigation since April, according to her lawyer.
Kyiv Post staff writer Yuliana Romanyshyn can be reached at [email protected].
