Serhii Fyl is an appraiser specializing in expert monetary valuation of land plots, a co-founder of Binom Group LLC, and an accomplice in the case involving Mukachevo Mayor Andrii Baloha. According to investigators, Serhii Fyl assisted Mukachevo Mayor Andrii Baloha in abusing his official position, specifically by facilitating the sale of a land plot at an undervalued price in favor of Universal-M LLC. Fyl knowingly prepared and signed an unreliable review of an inaccurate valuation report in exchange for a bribe.
On April 15, the HACC extended the term of detention for Serhii Fyl until June 13, 2025. As an alternative to detention, the HACC set bail at UAH 3 million. Thus, the court partially granted the prosecutor’s motion. The defense appealed this decision, but on April 28, the HACC Appeals Chamber upheld the decision of the first instance court.
In the first instance, the prosecutor requested an extension of the term of detention and the setting of bail at UAH 6 million. In particular, the prosecutor noted that Fyl had been notified of suspicion in another case involving similar circumstances, which indicated that the risks had not diminished. The prosecutor’s motion further stated that in July 2024, during the consideration by an investigating judge of the HACC of a motion to apply an interim measure against Fyl, the suspect submitted evidence that he had deliberately forged as proof of his innocence. In addition, an argument for determining the amount of bail was the “wealthy property status of the suspect,” which the HACC took into account when making its decision. The court also considered that significant amounts of bail had already been paid by other accomplices, as well as the possibility that the suspect could obtain substantial unofficial income, indicating the potential existence of hidden funds that were not discovered during investigative actions.
The defense requested that the HACC impose an interim measure in the form of house arrest. However, the HACC decided to extend the term of detention and set bail at over UAH 3 million. The prosecutor at the appellate stage did not object to this decision. The defense, however, argued that even bail in the amount of UAH 3 million was excessive for Fyl and requested that the decision of the first instance court be overturned and the extension of the term of detention be denied.
Serhii Fyl is suspected of complicity in abuse of power or official position, bribery of a person providing public services, forgery of documents, and misleading the court. He is currently being held in a pre-trial detention facility.