The Appellate Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has increased the bail amount for Ihor Brytsia, the deputy head of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Rivne Oblast, to over 3 million UAH amid ongoing bribery allegations. The court also postponed the appeal regarding another senior SBU official.
During a session on April 1, the court concluded the examination of appeals from both the defense and the prosecution concerning the preventive measures established by investigating judges on March 18. Initially, bail was set at 998,400 UAH for each suspect, including Brytsia and another individual identified as an intermediary in the case. According to the Office of the Prosecutor General, all bail amounts have been posted for the suspects.
In its ruling, the appellate court dismissed the defense’s appeal while partially granting the prosecution’s request, thus raising Brytsia’s bail to 3,328,000 UAH. The court upheld the initial ruling regarding the intermediary, rejecting both parties’ appeals.
Notably, during the appeal review, the pre-trial investigation body altered the charges against the intermediary, changing them from aiding in receiving an unlawful benefit to complicity in exceeding authority by a military official.
Additionally, the Office of the Prosecutor General clarified that the appeal concerning the bail for Oleg Tokarchuk, another deputy head of the SBU in Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, has been postponed until April 23. Tokarchuk also had an initial bail set at 998,400 UAH.
Background information indicates that on March 16, internal security forces of the SBU apprehended two high-ranking officials from regional branches of the agency, namely Brytsia and Tokarchuk. Reports suggest that the suspects, utilizing an intermediary as a trusted associate, demanded 620,000 USD from the head of a monopolistic company in the amber business. The following day, both officials were formally charged with bribery.
The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has increased the bail for SBU official Ihor Brytsia amid bribery allegations, while delaying the appeal for another official. This development follows the apprehension of multiple SBU officials involved in a significant corruption case.