HACC Begins To Try In Absentia Ex-Minister Of Ecology Zlochevskyi

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has begun to try former Minister of Ecology Mykola Zlochevskyi in absentia on charges of bribing the director of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NACB) and the head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SACPO).

Such a decision was made by the HACC on February 15, Ukrainian News Agency reports.

"The request of the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office, the Prosecutor General is to be satisfied. To carry out special court proceedings against the accused on charges of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 4 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine," the court ruling says.

The NACB and the SACPO in absentia informed Zlochevskyi about the suspicion of organizing the provision of USD 5 million in illegal benefits to the heads of the SACPO and the NACB for closing the case of the seizure of refinancing of the National Bank by Real Bank.

He was later put on the wanted list.

After that, Zlochevskyi was arrested in absentia.

Earlier, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau detained three people on suspicion of paying a bribe to the heads of the SACPO Nazar Kholodnytskyi and the NACB Artem Sytnyk in the amount of USD 5 million.

According to investigators, Andrii Kicha, Olena Mazurova and Mykola Iliashenko tried to bribe the heads of anti-corruption bodies so that they closed the criminal proceedings against Zlochevskyi.

It concerns the case of taking the funds of the stabilization loan of the National Bank issued by Real Bank and legalizing these funds.

Currently, the case against the three defendants is being considered in the anti-corruption court.

As Ukrainian News Agency earlier reported, USD 5 million in bribes for closing the case against the former Minister of Ecology Zlochevskyi was transferred to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

Zlochevskyi is on the international wanted list.

He resides permanently in Cyprus, holding the citizenship of that country.