Court considers pre-trial restraint for Ukrainian oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi in closed hearing

The Shevchenko District Court of Kyiv is considering the pre-trial restraint to be applied to the oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi, who was served with a notice of suspicion of fraud and laundering of assets obtained by criminal means on 2 September. 

Source: Suspilne, Ukrainska Pravda

Details: The hearing is being held behind closed doors at the request of Kolomoiskyi’s lawyer, who argued that the case is based on personal data.

In addition, Kolomoiskyi has refused to be photographed during the proceedings. Judge Kovtunenko upheld the petition brought by the defence.

The reading of the verdict, however, will be public.

Kolomoiskyi arrived at the court wearing a sweatshirt in the colours of the Dnipro football club, which he once owned.

The people of Dnipro considered the club the pride of their city. Yet for a long time, its owner did not pay his employees their salaries, despite the fact that the football club reached the Europa League final in 2015. 

In the end, its immense debts brought the club to bankruptcy and it ceased to exist. Kolomoiskyi himself said in an interview with the media that there was no point in investing in Ukrainian sport.

Update: Later, reporters were allowed in the session hall to hear the court's decision. Kolomoiskyi doesn't speak with the press.

Later, the Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi District Court chose Kolomoiskyi a preventive measure in the form of detention for a period of 60 days with the possibility of making bail of almost UAH 510 million.

Previously: On Saturday 2 September, the Security Service of Ukraine (SSU), the Economic Security Bureau and the Prosecutor General's Office served oligarch Ihor Kolomoiskyi with a notice of suspicion under Articles 190 and 209 of the Criminal Code: fraud and legalisation (laundering) of assets obtained by criminal means.

The prosecutors intended to request that Kolomoiskyi be placed in custody with the option of bail equivalent to the estimated damage.

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