Today, the panel of judges of the HACC AC dismissed the complaints against the interim measure imposed on MP Viktor Bondar. The prosecutor requested that the MP be taken into custody, while the defense argued against any measures or, at the very least, sought a bail reduction.
The NABU and SAPO suspect MP Bondar of organizing a large-scale kickback scheme worth UAH 140 million at Ukrzaliznytsia during cable procurement in 2021-2022.
Earlier, the HACC investigating judge refused to take the MP into custody and set a bail of ₴100 million, which he never paid while awaiting reconsideration on appeal. Bondar insisted that he could not afford such a large sum, initially requesting that the bail be set at ₴5–7 million and later reducing his request to ₴3–5 million, stating that he “does not want to beg or be dependent on big businessmen.”
The suspected MP also suggested that the case against him may have been initiated by opponents, as he was among the first to explore rare earth metals for cooperation with the United States. According to Bondar, this is the only way for Ukraine to endure.