Anti-graft court did not extend pre-trial investigation of former Naftogaz chief's bonuses

The investigating judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court refused the request to extend the term of the pre-trial investigation in the case of Andriy Kobolyev, the former chairman of the board of NJSC Naftogaz of Ukraine, whom the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office suspect of embezzling over UAH 229 million ($8.4 million) back in 2018, according to the video of the HACCU meeting published on the court's YouTube page.

The decision of the investigating judge is not subject to appeal.

Now, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office has five days to either file an indictment with the court, or close the criminal proceedings, or appeal to the court for exoneration, Transparency International Ukraine explains.

In January, Kobolyev was charged by the NABU because of bonuses in Naftogaz for winning the Stockholm arbitration against Gazprom. The investigation believes that in May 2018, contrary to the requirements of the law, he issued an order on bonusing the company's employees, on the basis of which he was paid an excessively large bonus in the amount of almost UAH 261 million (equivalent to $10 million).

In March, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine imposed a pre-trial restriction against Kobolyev in the form of bail in the amount of UAH 229.248 million ($8.4 million).

Kobolyev did not post bail, but his preventive measure was not changed.