The High Anti-Corruption Court in Kyiv on August 21 continued pre-trial proceedings for former Ukrainian lawmaker Maksym Mykytas in a money laundering case.
Prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office plan to ask the court to place the former member of parliament in custody with bail set at 200 million hryvnias, according to a correspondent for Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty.
Court proceedings in the matter, designated by investigators as the Forest Gump case, entered a new stage after the prosecution delivered its arguments on August 20. The session on August 21 opened with submissions from Mykytas's legal representative, with the former lawmaker scheduled to address the court directly once his defense lawyer finishes speaking.
Criminal organization allegations
Anti-corruption authorities have named Mykytas as a suspect in an investigation concerning the activities of a structured criminal organization. Investigators stated that the organization operated under the direction of both a current member of parliament and a former lawmaker, with participation from senior officials within the Office of the President of Ukraine.
Mykytas has not commented on the allegations against him. The proceedings are being heard before the High Anti-Corruption Court, a specialized judicial body in Kyiv established to try major graft and corruption cases brought by Ukrainian prosecutors.
Operation Forest Gump and linked bail payments
The court action follows an announcement on August 19 by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine detailing findings from operation Forest Gump. Detectives reported that they uncovered a group that legalized 150 million hryvnias in physical cash by routing the money through accounts held by shell companies.
According to investigators, the cash was introduced into legal circulation to pay bail for a suspect in a separate criminal organization investigation known as the Midas case.
Law enforcement agencies have not officially named the individual for whom the bail was posted. However, audio recordings published by investigators feature the name Herman, and the 150 million hryvnia figure matches the bail amount set for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
The court is scheduled to rule on the prosecution's pre-trial restriction request as hearings continue in Kyiv.
