A multimillion-dollar bail will be posted for Stefanishyna before the court hearing

A bail of UAH 6 million for former Ukrainian Ambassador to the U.S. Olha Stefanishyna was posted on August 13 by her former legal colleagues.

Stefanishyna said this in a comment to “Ukrainska Pravda”.

According to her, the amount set by the court remains excessive for her and her family. However, they decided to post the bail without waiting for the appeal to avoid further speculation around the situation. The funds were provided by lawyers with whom Stefanishyna worked before entering public service, and who are currently involved in her defense.

Stefanishyna stressed that her position on the size of the bail had not changed. The defense has appealed both the type of pre-trial restriction chosen and the amount set by the court. The appeal hearing by the Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court is scheduled for August 19.

The former official previously said she would pay the bail after the appellate ruling if the defense's complaint were rejected. Now it has been decided to transfer the money before the hearing. Stefanishyna noted that bail is a guarantee measure and is returned upon fulfilling the procedural obligations set by the court.

On August 6, the HACC imposed a pre-trial restriction in the form of a UAH 6 million bail for Stefanishyna. NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office suspect the former vice prime minister and minister of justice of illegal enrichment worth more than UAH 13.9 million and of filing false information in her declaration.

According to investigators, Stefanishyna actually owned two apartments in the Kyiv residential complex “Faina Town” with a total value of almost UAH 11 million, which were registered in the name of her acquaintance. NABU also claims she used real estate and other property registered to relatives and connected persons, including a Mercedes-Benz GLC 220 d. These assets, according to investigators, were not reflected in the declarations.

Investigators also claim the former official discussed buying a house near Kyiv for about $550,000. According to NABU materials, part of the cost was planned to be paid in cash, and the remaining amount was to be covered by transferring the two apartments. The deal ultimately fell through.

Stefanishyna has the status of a suspect. Her guilt has not been established by the court, and the circumstances presented by the anti-corruption bodies are the investigators’ version.