Court extends Kolomoisky's detention, reduces bail
The Shevchenkivskyi district court extended oligarch Ihor Kolomoisky's detention for another two months but reduced his bail to Hr 2.4 billion hryvnias ($62.5 million), his lawyer told Suspilne on Feb. 28.
Kolomoisky, one of Ukraine's most well-known business tycoons, was arrested on Sept. 2 for alleged fraud and money laundering related to his oil and gas holdings. His bail was initially set at Hr 509 million (now $13.2 million).
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) handed Kolomoisky additional criminal charges on Sept. 7, accusing him of embezzling $250 million from PrivatBank in 2015.
Following the new charge, the Shevchenkivskyi district court increased the oligarch's bail to Hr 3.89 billion (now $101.4 million).
The prosecutor said this was in part due to the fact that the oligarch had lost his Ukrainian citizenship and is now a citizen of Israel, which creates a risk of him hiding abroad.
Kolomoisky does not plan to pay his bail, despite its reduced amount, Kolomoisky's lawyer Oleksandr Lysak told Suspilne. His detention was extended until April 25.
The court also issued another decision, namely that Kolomoisky should "immediately" be given a "proper medical examination," Lysak said.
Kolomoisky, who is 61 years old, has repeatedly complained about his health issues while in detention. His petition to change the terms of his pretrial detention to house arrest due to his health issues was denied in November.
The Shevchenkivskyi district court previously decided to prolong Kolomoisky's detention in January.
During the hearing on Jan. 22, Kolomoisky again said that he needed a medical examination as his health conditions had worsened. His lawyers insisted on allowing Kolomoisky to move from custody to house arrest in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast.
The court refused, instead extending his detention as the pre-trial investigation is ongoing.
Read also: Who is Viktor Pavlushchyk, newly-elected head of key Ukrainian anti-corruption agency?
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