Ukraine’s Minister of Agriculture, Mykola Solsky has been released on bail. This is coming after he was detained on allegation of being involved in a multimillion-Dollar landgrab scheme.
According to the State prosecutors, the case involved State property.
According to Al Jazeera, an anticorruption court had ordered Solsky to be held in custody until June 24. The court, however set the bail at 75.7 million hryvnias ($1.9m), prosecutors said on Friday.
Solsky could face up to 12 years in jail if convicted.
But his ministry announced on Friday, that he was released after posting bail of 75.7 million hryvnias ($1.9m).
“Mykola Solsky has been released from custody and continues to perform his duties as Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food of Ukraine,” the ministry said in a post on social media.
Recall that Solsky is facing allegation of illegally seizing state-owned land worth 291 million hryvnias ($7.36m). He was also, accused of trying to obtain other land worth 190 million hryvnias ($4.8m).
Al Jazeera report that the allegations relate to events between 2017 and 2021. That was before Solsky started as Ukraine’s wartime Agriculture Minister in March 2022. Shortly after the start of Russia’s invasion.
According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, “Under the alleged scheme, the land was illegally taken from two State firms. It was later transferred to war veterans on the condition they lease it to some private firms.”
However, the 44-year-old Minister and his lawyer have denied the charges.
Speaking after his bail on Thursday, he said he did not benefit from any such scheme.
Al Jazeera reported that Solsky had earlier this week, offered his resignation and promised to cooperate with the investigation. “But he will technically remain Agriculture Minister until Parliament considers his resignation.”
“Solsky, who owned several farming businesses, was elected to Ukraine’s parliament in 2019.
Solsky has become the first known Ukrainian Minister to be prosecuted as a suspect in a major corruption case under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Recall that Zelenskyy has emphasized clamping down on corruption. To make good his words, last year, 2023, replaced his Defence Minister, following fraud allegations.
SOURCE: NEWS AGENCIES
