Head of Zelenskyy's office breaks silence on corruption tapes featuring his deputy Mudra, says let court decide

Kyrylo Budanov, Head of Office of the President of Ukraine, has for the first time commented on reports that his name was heard on recordings involving his deputy Iryna Mudra, who is implicated in a new case brought by anti-corruption authorities.

Source: Budanov in a comment to hromadske, a Ukrainian independent media outlet

Quote: "Let the court figure out who's heard where. You know, there's a lot of stuff floating around where things get mentioned."

Details: According to hromadske journalists, Budanov admitted he was in contact with Iryna Mudra after her dismissal (which took place after she had been served with a notice of suspicion).

Quote: "Firstly, dismissal is a legal process. Secondly, I've never in principle turned my back on people until there are final conclusions. If the court concludes she's guilty, then that's a different matter."

Background: Recordings from the anti-corruption Operation Forrest Gump show Iryna Mudra referring to "the leadership" while discussing the arrangement and legalisation of bail for former minister Herman Halushchenko, a defendant in the Midas case. It is not known yet whether this "leadership" meant Kyrylo Budanov, or whether President Volodymyr Zelenskyy himself had issued instructions concerning the bail.

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