Ukraine ex-energy chief saga drags on as political pressure stalls case, critics say
A Kyiv court delayed the appeal of the former head of Ukraine's state-owned national power company until mid-December, a step that seems aimed at dragging out what is widely considered a politically motivated case.
The ex-chief of Ukrenergo, Volodymyr Kudrytskyi — currently out on bail and monitored with an ankle bracelet — was expected in a Kyiv court on Nov. 27 to appeal his pre-trial detention on embezzlement charges brought against him.
But the Kyiv Appeals Court pushed the hearing to Dec. 16 because another Kyiv court, the Pechersk Court, had not passed along the case materials, the Anti-Corruption Action Center (AntAC), a Ukrainian watchdog, reported.
Kudrytskyi, ousted as Ukenergo chief last year amid a power struggle over control of the company, was charged in October with embezzlement over a 2018 contract he approved as deputy director.
Civil society groups and lawmakers say he is being politically persecuted and made a scapegoat by President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration for infrastructure failures caused by Russian attacks that have led to prolonged blackouts and difficult winters.
As Kudrytskyi's case unfolded, Ukraine's anti-corruption agencies uncovered a $100 million kickback scheme at the state-owned nuclear energy company Energoatom involving Zelensky's former business partner, Timur Mindich, and former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko, another Zelensky ally.
AntAC’s executive director, Daria Kaleniuk, said the court hearing delay is just the latest attempt to pressure Kudrytskyi, an outspoken critic of Zelensky’s administration.
"One of the ways to politically persecute someone is to constantly delay their right to appeal the decision of the first court hearing," Kaleniuk told the Kyiv Independent.
In comments to the Kyiv Independent, Kudrytskyi blamed the Pechersk Court being "in the hands of the Presidential Office" for the delay.
"They had to send the materials of my case to the Kyiv Appeals court immediately, according to the law, but they failed to do that. They just artificially suspended my right to appeal."
This means Kudrytskyi will remain under the preventative measures imposed on him by the Pechersk Court on Oct. 29. The court set Kudrytskyi’s bail at $325,000, and ordered him to wear an ankle monitor and surrender his passport to prevent him from leaving the country.
Kudrytskyi's home was initially raided on Oct. 21 in a separate case, and he was later arrested on Oct. 28 in western Ukraine, accused of conspiring to embezzle Hr 13.7 million ($327,000).
The former energy chief has denied the accusations, telling the Kyiv Independent in an interview on Nov. 10 that the case was politically motivated. He said it was connected to the ongoing corruption scandal at Energoatom.
Kaleniuk noted that a similar incident had happened the day before to the imprisoned anti-corruption detective investigating Mindich — Ruslan Mahamedrasulov. The Kyiv Appeals Court delayed the hearing on Nov. 26 due to an anonymous bomb threat received an hour before the hearing, according to AntAC.
The court previously postponed his hearing on Nov. 12. The judges justified the delay by saying they didn’t have time to familiarize themselves with the case, AntAC reported.
Mahamedrasulov was arrested by Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in July and charged with "aiding the aggressor state,” meaning Russia. The SBU suspects Mahamedrasulov and his father of planning to serve as intermediaries in cannabis sales to the Russian republic of Dagestan. AntAC also considers his case political.
"The President’s Office doesn’t like either Mahamedrasulov or Kudrytskyi," said Kaleniuk.
"There are many ways to continue delaying the appeal. The court could receive a bomb threat again, or the judge could get sick."
