Ukrainian agriculture minister released from custody, back to performing his duties

MOSCOW. April 26 (Interfax) - Ukrainian Agrarian Policy and Food Minister Nikolai Solsky has been released from custody and is continuing to perform his ministerial duties, Ukrainian media outlets said with a reference to the ministry's press service.

"Solsky was released on bail of 75.7 million hryvni. The bail amount was determined by a ruling of the High Anti-Corruption Court," the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food said.

As reported, the High Anti-Corruption Court ruled to apply a preventive measure to Solsky in the form of detention for 60 days, until June 24, 2024 inclusive, with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 25,000 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons, namely 75.7 million hryvni, which can be posted either by the suspect himself or by another person.

Earlier, Solsky tendered his resignation as the agrarian policy and food minister. The Verkhovna Rada will consider it at one of the next plenary meetings.

On April 23, the National Anti-corruption Bureau of Ukraine or NABU notified Solsky he was suspected of seizing state land worth UAH 291 million and attempting to seize land worth another UAH 190 million. The minister denied the accusations, saying that "the events of which I, according to NABU, am suspected relate to the period 2017-2018, that is, when I was a lawyer and was not the Agrarian Policy and Food Minister or chairman of the Verkhovna Rada Committee on Agrarian and Land Policy."

On April 25, the leading agricultural associations of Ukraine filed a plea with the HACC to grant Solsky bail, and also expressed confidence in his ministry's work.