Former Minister Mykola Solskyi remains in pretrial detention
The Khmelnytskyi City and District Court extended the pretrial detention of former Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solskyi until July 10.
The former official is suspected of fraud committed by a group of individuals acting in concert on a particularly large scale.
At the same time, the term of the pre-trial investigation in the criminal proceedings was extended by six months—until September 27.
According to the judges, this criminal proceeding is complex and requires a significant amount of investigative work.
Law enforcement officials must analyze large volumes of financial and business documentation, verify the movement of funds in accounts, and await the conclusions of numerous expert examinations.
There is a reasonable likelihood that, if released, the suspect could coordinate with other individuals involved in the case, influence witnesses, or obstruct the investigation.
“Only a preventive measure in the form of detention can ensure the suspect’s proper procedural conduct,” the court emphasized in its decision.
It was separately noted that the case of Mykola Solskyi has garnered significant public attention due to the nature of the alleged actions and the substantial amount of damages caused.
Minister Mykola Solskyi stated that the events for which he was notified of suspicion relate to the period of 2017–2018, when he was a lawyer and was not yet a minister or the chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy.
The High Anti-Corruption Court is considering cases against 35 current members of parliament on charges of corruption and bribery
