The interrogation was conducted in the case of Maksym Mykytas, a former MP and developer. He is accused of attempting to bribe the mayor of Dnipro Filatov to conclude a contract for the construction of the metro with his companies outside the competition. The amount of the proposed bribe is estimated at a record EUR 22 million.
Here are some interesting things that happened at the hearing.
How did Mykytas appear in Filatov's life?
“Frankly speaking, it was quite brazen,” the mayor said, answering the prosecutor's question. Filatov also indicated that, as mayor, he tried to avoid direct contact with contractors or developers.
But Mykytas was very active in seeking the mayor's attention. Filatov indicated that in almost 10 years in office, never had there been such a “psychological attack” on the part of any developer or contractor.
Filatov said that he followed corruption cases and watched streams of the HACC’s hearings, so he was aware of Mykytas's reputation.
Filatov's statement to the NABU
Filatov said that this whole story seemed quite strange to him, and he was forced to file a statement with the NABU because “if there is an impression of an unlawful advantage being provided, then it is the duty of an official to inform the anti-corruption authorities.”
He also confirmed that after filing the statement, he was interrogated and gave his consent to be involved in covert investigative search operations.
Mykytas' meetings with Filatov
Filatov said that he did not remember the dates of conversations and meetings with Mykytas. He said it was in late summer, then there were some telephone conversations in September, followed by two meetings—all of them were recorded using special devices.
According to the mayor, he tried to avoid meetings with contractors, so he suggested that Mykytas meet with specialists from the city council. Such a meeting took place, but Mykytas’s proposal, made at this meeting, in Filatov’s opinion, was extremely unconvincing.
After that, Filatov himself met with Mykytas; he was supposed to explain to the mayor how he saw the process of implementing the project to complete the metro in the city. Filatov indicated that during the personal meeting, Mykytas offered him a bribe.
In particular, Mykyts proposed a scheme according to which 10% of the contract value would be provided for lobbying the interests of his companies. According to Filatov, Mykytas wanted Filatov to use his official position and integrate Mykytas’ representatives into the city council team and also participate in negotiations with the EBRD. At the subsequent meeting, according to Filatov, Mykytas handed over a “deal memo” in which the roles between the parties were outlined.
Today, only the prosecutor managed to question Filatov as a witness; the defense only managed to begin its interrogation and will continue it at subsequent hearings.