Latest news with #Smyrnov
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ex-deputy head of President's Office released on over $430,000 bail amid corruption probe
Andrii Smyrnov, the former deputy head of the President's Office, was released from custody on bail of Hr 18 million ($433,000), Suspilne news outlet reported on May 6, citing the High Anti-Corruption Court. A day earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a pre-trial restraint on Smyrnov in the form of detention with the right to post bail of Hr 18 million ($435,000) until May 22. Speaking to Suspilne following the ruling, Smyrnov said he would fight the charges and prove his innocence. "I consider this decision unfair," he said, adding: "I will fight and prove that I am right." Smyrnov is under investigation for allegedly legalizing illicit assets and accepting a bribe worth $100,000. Smyrnov held the position of the President's Office deputy head from September 2019 until March 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him without naming a reason. His lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to present new evidence or justify the need for detention, calling the request "unsubstantiated." The defense maintains that the case has not progressed in over six months and lacks grounds for such a restrictive measure. According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), Smyrnov acquired assets worth more than Hr 17 million ($408,000) between 2020-2022, although he officially reported his salary and savings for the time period as Hr 1.3 million ($31,200). Smyrnov reportedly purchased two luxury cars, two motorcycles, several parking spaces, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in Zakarpattia Oblast. In an effort to cover up his ownership of the assets, NABU said that he transferred the majority of the property assets to his brother, but secretly retained access. On April 16, Smyrnov was charged with new offenses. Between 2019 and 2021, Smyrnov allegedly laundered nearly Hr 6.5 million ($156,000) by funding the construction of seaside homes in Odesa Oblast registered under another company, according to NABU. After his indictment in May 2024, the properties were re-registered under a trustee's name. Investigators say Smyrnov also accepted $100,000 worth of construction services in 2022 in exchange for using his influence to sway a tender decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee. Read also: Who are Russia's allies, and can Kremlin's war machine survive without them? We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Ukrainian court orders detention of ex-deputy head of President's Office during corruption probe
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court on May 5 ordered former deputy head of the President's Office Andrii Smyrnov into pretrial detention until May 22 as part of an ongoing investigation into alleged large-scale corruption, according to a Suspilne correspondent present in the courtroom. The court granted prosecutors' request in part, setting bail at Hr 18 million (approximately $430,000). Prosecutors had sought to keep Smyrnov in custody with a higher bail amount of over Hr 20 million (approximately $477,000). Smyrnov is under investigation for allegedly legalizing illicit assets and accepting a bribe worth $100,000. Smirnov held the position of president's office deputy head from September 2019 until , when President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him without naming a reason. His lawyer argued that the prosecution failed to present new evidence or justify the need for detention, calling the request "unsubstantiated." The defense maintains that the case has not progressed in over six months and lacks grounds for such a restrictive measure. Speaking to Suspilne following the ruling, Smyrnov said he would fight the charges and prove his innocence. "I consider this decision unfair," he said, adding: "I will fight and prove that I am right." According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the suspect acquired assets worth more than Hr 17 million ($426,000) between 2020-2022, although he officially reported his salary and savings for the time period as Hr 1.3 million ($32,500). Smyrnov reportedly purchased two luxury cars, two motorcycles, several parking spaces, an apartment in Lviv, and a land plot in Zakarpattia Oblast. In an effort to cover up his ownership of the assets, NABU said that he transferred the majority of the property assets to his brother, but secretly retained access. On April 16, Smyrnov was charged with new offenses. Between 2019 and 2021, Smyrnov allegedly laundered nearly Hr 6.5 million ($157,000) by funding the construction of seaside homes in Odesa Oblast registered under another company, according to NABU. After his indictment in May 2024, the properties were re-registered under a trustee's name. Investigators say Smyrnov also accepted $100,000 worth of construction services in 2022 in exchange for using his influence to sway a tender decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee. Read also: 8 Ukrainian officials, entrepreneurs charged with embezzling $2.1 million in firewood purchases for Armed Forces We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Ex-deputy head of Presidential Office charged with new offenses, including money laundering, bribery
A former deputy head of the Presidential Office was charged with money laundering and taking a particularly large bribe, Ukraine's National Anti-Corruption Bureau's (NABU) said in a statement published on April 16. NABU does not name the person charged with the crimes in its report, but the case involves Andrii Smyrnov, who was a deputy head of the Presidential Office from 2019 to 2024. Before the new charges were announced, Smyrnov was accused of illicitly enriching himself by Hr 15.7 million ($380,000) while in his former position. Smyrnov acquired assets worth more than Hr 17 million ($412,000) between 2020-2022, although he officially reported his salary and savings for the period as Hr 1.3 million ($31,500). According to NABU's statement, from 2019 to 2021, the accused illegally cashed in funds, which he laundered by building houses on 300 square meters in a recreational area of Odesa Oblast. Smyrnov turned to the beneficiary of an unnamed company that owned land by the sea and transferred almost Hr 6.5 million ($157,000) for the construction of the facilities to conceal the origins of the money. The constructed buildings used by the top official were initially registered in the company's name, but after Smyrnov was charged for the first time in May 2024, they were re-registered in the name of a trustee. NABU detectives also determined that in 2022, the top official was approached by the owner of an unnamed construction company with a proposal to provide him services worth $100,000 for constructing one of the houses on the coast in Odesa Oblast. In return, the individual asked to Smyrnov to facilitate a decision by Ukraine's Antimonopoly Committee to cancel the results of a tender that was earlier won by a competitor, and to ensure his company's victory in the new tender. According to the investigation, Smyrnov accepted the proposal and took advantage of his official position. Smyrnov held the position of deputy head from September 2019 until March 2024, when President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed him without naming a reason. Read also: Ukraine's military reverses mobilization of former state tax chief accused of taking bribes We've been working hard to bring you independent, locally-sourced news from Ukraine. Consider supporting the Kyiv Independent.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Excitement builds in businesses as they prepare for March Madness in Seattle
Eight teams, thousands of fans and millions of dollars will be coming to Seattle as the Emerald City plays host to the first and second rounds of the March Madness NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament. Oregon, Colorado State, Arizona, Grand Canyon, Memphis, Maryland, Liberty and Akron are the universities picked to play at Climate Pledge Arena on Friday and Sunday. 'March Madness is just the best time of year. It's my favorite sports competition in general,' Sam Jain said. 'It's really anyone's game, you can be a one seed or a 16 seed and you never know what's going to happen.' Sam and his friend Nick Smyrnov watched the selections roll in at Atlas Sports & Spirits, perusing Ticketmaster to punch their own tickets to the game. The two have their eyes on the second-round doubleheader next Sunday. 'It's what is motivating me to look for tickets for this game—the college atmosphere. I don't think you can get it anywhere else,' Smyrnov said. While Smyrnov and Jain are locals, though trying to get a group to pregame with them before the games next weekend, spending from the fans of teams coming into town has the potential to generate millions of dollars spent in Seattle during the weekend round of games. At the MarQueen Hotel, they watched their rooms fill up minutes after the selections were announced. 'We're hoping to sell out almost all of our rooms and in just the last hour we booked seven rooms which is like quite quick,' Kennady Brantley, with the MarQueen Hotel in Lower Queen Anne. Brantley says Climate Pledge events noticeably help their business. With a long weekend of events like this, it's several days of good vibes. 'It's just the best. The buzz in the air, the excitement, everyone is in a good mood it's wonderful,' Brantley said. In previous years, the Seattle Sports Commission reported as much as $6 million is spent by traveling fans when they are in town. Helping Seattle's case, teams like Colorado State, Arizona, Grand Canyon and especially Oregon have a relatively short way to go. 'Oregon being here I expect it's going to be pretty crazy, I'm looking forward to it,' said Marco Alvarado, owner of Atlas Sports Bar. It's Alvarado's first time open during a March Madness tournament, though he feels like he had a preview in December when Climate Pledge hosted Kentucky and Gonzaga in an overtime thriller. 'We were a Kentucky bar for the night. We didn't ask to be, but they didn't give us a choice and it was great.' Alvarado said.
