A hearing to determine pretrial confinement terms and bail for two suspects involved in the alleged embezzlement of from the Odesa Portside Chemical Plant (OPCP), Naftogaz top executive Serhiy Pereloma and OPCP First Deputy Director Mykola Schurykov, has been set for July 15.
“Procedural issues in the case from the Special Anti-corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) are being handled by the specialized anti-corruption prosecutor Volodymyr Kryvenko.
Detectives from the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and SAPO prosecutors request bail for the suspects, which is set in accordance to the estimated loss to the state,” the SAPO press service said on July 14 evening.
A hearing on pretrial confinement for the suspects is scheduled for Friday morning.
As earlier reported, SAPO head Nazar Kholodnytsky on July 14 said that head of OPCP’s supervisory board and First Deputy Director of the board of Naftogaz Ukraine Serhiy Pereloma ands OPCP Deputy Director Mykola Schurykov had been detained on suspicion of embezzlement.
“The decision has been taken to inform the detainees of our suspicions. Searches are still being conducted. The named individuals will be detained,” Kholodnytsky said at a briefing in Kyiv on Thursday.
Later he told journalists that Pereloma and Schurykov had already been arrested on the suspicion they had misappropriated property.
“The main criminal case is about the unlawful acts involving OPCP, according to part 5, article 191 and part 2, article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Enough evidence has been gathered in this case to announce the suspicion that large amounts of money were misappropriated by two rather high-ranking officials,” Kholodnytsky said on Thursday in Kyiv during a press briefing.
According to him, prosecutors in May 2015 established that Pereloma, who also headed the supervisory board of OPCP, “promoted the embezzlement of [OPCP] in favor of Ukrnafta.”
SAPO agents said the Energoalliance company brokered the deal, which involved the UAH 250 million purchase of natural gas at artificially inflated prices.
“Pereloma conspired with OPCP first deputy director Schurykov to arrange the deal … From May to December 2015, the two suspects spent OPCP funds to purchase natural gas at artificially high prices in the amount Hr 205,181,133,” Kholodnytsky said, adding that SOPA would continue its investigation, irrespective of the enterprises or individuals who backed the suspects.
