The HACC today continued reviewing a motion for pretrial detention, with bail as an alternative, against Oleksandr Bankov — former state secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and, according to investigators, organizer of the criminal scheme. Investigators allege he exercised actual control over the NGO created for the scheme and promoted it through a memorandum of cooperation with the MFA, under which international aid funds were to be directed to the accounts of the Center for International Cooperation Support.
At the previous hearing on July 29, the prosecutor gave a detailed account of how the criminal organization misappropriated the funds. Today, he presented additional evidence supporting the lawfulness of the suspicion and outlined the risks in the case, including:
- Absconding from investigators and fleeing Ukraine. Bankov's financial standing and connections with powerful figures could help him leave the country.
- Destruction of evidence and documents. The prosecutor said that during the pretrial investigation, NABU detectives had sent requests to the NGO involved in the scheme for documents needed by the investigation. The NGO responded past the deadline and provided no documents at all.
- Unlawful influence on other suspects and witnesses. Since Bankov is considered the organizer of the scheme, the prosecutor suggested he could influence suspects and other individuals to justify his own actions.
The defense also spoke today. The lawyers first argued that the suspicion served on Bankov was unfounded. They maintained that the prosecutor was misleading the court by claiming the funds from international donors, including the Embassy of Japan in Ukraine, had been misused — insisting the money had been used entirely lawfully.
The defense further argued that none of Bankov's actions showed any signs of wrongdoing. On the contrary, they said, he had carried out his duties as MFA state secretary under the difficult conditions of wartime.
The court retired to the deliberation room to reach a decision.