Andrii Yermak, former head of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office and a long-time close confidant, was released on bail on Monday after he had spent several days in pre-trial detention over his alleged participation in a money-laundering scheme.
Ukraine's top anti-corruption court allowed Yermak to be released after paying bail of the equivalent of €2.72 million ($3.19 million).
Images distributed by local media showed Yermak clad in a suit leaving the detention centre in Kiev on Monday morning. Under the bail conditions, he is not allowed to leave Ukraine, must wear an electronic tag and is barred from having any contact with other defendants in the criminal proceedings.
A judge ruled on Thursday that Yermak is to remain in custody for an initial period of 60 days, with the possibility of release on bail.
The long-time close confidant of Zelensky faces money laundering charges. He and five other suspects are accused of being part of an organized group that laundered nearly €9 million linked to a luxury construction project near Kiev.
Yermak, 54, has categorically denied the allegations. He faces eight to 12 years in prison if found guilty, according to Ukrainian media.
Yermak had previously stated that he does not have the financial means to pay the bail amount. According to local media reports, the money came from supporters, including his lawyer as well as several celebrities and businesses, and was collected over the past days.
Until his resignation last year, Yermak was seen as the second-most powerful man in Ukraine, conducting negotiations aimed at ending the war with Russia.
Rumours have long been rife in Kiev that Yermak - who was widely regarded as Zelensky’s right-hand man until November last year - is having a residence built in the upmarket Dynastia neighbourhood in the town of Kozyn outside the capital.
During last week’s hearings in the corruption probe, Yermak’s lawyer, Ihor Fomin, argued that there was no evidence to support the allegations and applied for his client to be released on a reasonable bail.
Yermak, a former film producer and close associate of Zelensky from his days in show business, had led the presidential office since 2020. The Ukrainian president did not comment on the accusations facing Yermak when his former aide was arrested.
The case is considered to be controversial as Zelensky is pushing for Ukraine to join the European Union, which has made a crackdown on corruption one of its key preconditions for accession to the bloc.
