MOSCOW, May 16. /TASS/. Friends of former head of Vladimir Zelensky's office Andrey Yermak, accused of corruption, collected the entire 140 million hryvnia ($3.1 million) bail, but did not transfer it for fear that transfers from dubious sources could lead to problems, Verkhovna Rada deputy Yaroslav Zheleznyak said.
"Yesterday they urgently searched for money for Yermak’s bail. When they realized they can’t make it on time, they cast caution to the wind. At the end of the day, they took money from anyone. Literally from thieves and beggars," Zheleznyak wrote on Telegram. "140 million was collected yesterday, but they didn't have time to transfer it to the account of the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court."
According to him, the funds for the bail came from questionable sources, but the banks accepted these payments because Yermak's friends assured them that there would be no punishment: "The task of collecting money for Yermak is a state task set personally by Zelensky, all banks were assured: do not be afraid."
However, the deputy notes, on Friday evening, the State Financial Monitoring Service warned banks that the sources of funds for the bail would be checked and sanctions would follow in case of violation of the rules of financial control, this is why the money raised for Yermak was not transferred to the court account and Yermak remained in jail. According to Zheleznyak, the head of the State Financial Monitoring Service Filipp Pronin had been appointed thanks to Yermak.
On Friday, Ukrainian journalist Mikhail Tkach, who publishes information on Yermak's case apparently coming from investigative sources said that the bail funds were deposited through shell companies. On Thursday, a Kiev court sent Yermak into custody for 60 days with the possibility of a 140 million hryvnia bail as a preventive measure in the case of laundering 460 million hryvnias ($10.5 million) during the construction of a cottage settlement near Kiev. Yermak said he did not have the means for the bail, but was counting on his friends.