Vadym Stolar, a person of interest in the “Forrest Gump” investigation, confirmed that he is unable to post bail in the amount of 300 million hryvnias—which the High Anti-Corruption Court set as an alternative to a preventive measure—due to the banks’ refusal to process the transfer.
Stolar accused the financial institution of unfounded and illegal actions, noting his intention to appeal to the National Bank of Ukraine. Olga Vasilevska-Smaglyuk, a member of parliament from the “Servant of the People” party, noted that Stolar’s problem arose even before the funds were transferred, as he is unable to exchange foreign currency for hryvnias due to transactions being blocked by banks.
According to the lawmaker, the blocking may be a result of Stolar’s advisors’ lack of knowledge regarding the basic principles of financial monitoring. She suggested that the funds they are attempting to transfer may have come from abroad.
The Office of the Prosecutor General may file a motion on Monday to change the preventive measure in Stolar’s case. It should be noted that in August of this year, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) announced a series of charges as part of the “Forrest Gump” investigation.
The investigation established that the criminal organization, which attempted to launder 150 million hryvnias, included former lawmakers—including Stolar—as well as former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Iryna Mudra. They used these funds to pay bail in the “Midas” case.
