By KYIV. Dec 1 (Interfax-Ukraine) – An indictment has been sent to the High Anti-Corruption Court and the term of obligations in the case of payment of bonuses has been extended against former head of the board of NJSC Naftogaz Ukrainy Andriy Kobolev, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) reported on Thursday.
According to it, the panel of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court on November 30, during the preparatory court hearing, granted the prosecutor’s request and extended the duration of the duties assigned to the accused in connection with the application of bail.
According to the broadcast of the meeting, Kobolev’s lawyer petitioned to change his preventive measure, but the court refused, extending until January 30, 2024 the restrictions imposed on the former head of Naftogaz as a preventive measure regarding the surrender of passports and movement. The next preparatory meeting is scheduled for December 14, 2023.
As reported, SAPO and NABU in January 2023 notified the former head of Naftogaz about suspicion of abuse of office in securing the payment of bonuses worth UAH 229 million for the company’s victory in the Stockholm arbitration against Russia’s Gazprom. According to the investigation, this amount significantly exceeds the normative amounts of such payments (UAH 37.48 million).
The prosecution insists that Kobolev deliberately concealed from members of the appointment and remuneration committee of the company’s supervisory board information that bonus amounts were set for managers of state-owned enterprises.
