Former Head of Zelensky’s Office Andrii Yermak has been released from pre-trial detention after bail was paid in full, following several days in custody linked to a major corruption investigation.
According to reporting from the scene and court information, Yermak left detention on the morning of 18 May after the High Anti-Corruption Court confirmed that the required bail of UAH 140 million (around USD3.2 million) had been deposited on his behalf. He stated that he had been held in a paid cell with improved conditions and added that he did not know who ultimately provided the bail funds.
Court officials confirmed that the full amount had been collected by the morning of 18 May. Lawyer Ihor Fomin said he was heading to the court to obtain the official documentation required to finalize the release, stating: “We’re on our way, we’ll go and get it.”
Yermak was initially placed in custody on 14 May as part of a pre-trial measure, with bail set at UAH 140 million. He is suspected of involvement in the laundering of approximately UAH 460 million (around USD10.5 million) connected to the construction of a high-end residential complex near Kyiv.
Investigators allege that the funds may have originated from a wider corruption scheme involving Energoatom, Ukraine’s state nuclear energy operator. Several other individuals have also been charged in the same case, including former Deputy Prime Minister Oleksii Chernyshov and Timur Mindich, a former associate of President Volodymyr Zelensky.
