Ukraine Former head of the presidential office Jermak released on bail
The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine has released the former head of the presidential office Andriy Yermak, who was detained for days on money laundering charges, on bail of millions.
18.05.2026, 17:52
SDA
Media in Kiev showed footage of Jermak leaving the remand prison in the morning dressed in a suit. He has been released on conditional release and is not allowed to leave Ukraine. Only last week, the court had ordered a 60-day pre-trial detention.
The court set the equivalent of 2.72 million euros as bail. The money had been collected by supporters over the past few days, according to media reports in Kiev. Until his release in November, the 54-year-old was President Volodymyr Zelensky's right-hand man - and maintains his innocence.
As a member of an organized group, he is alleged to have been involved in laundering the equivalent of almost nine million euros in connection with a luxury construction project near Kiev. Jermak categorically denies this.
Case shakes Ukraine's domestic politics
The case of what was once the second most powerful man in Kiev after Zelenskyi has shaken Ukraine, which is defending itself against the Russian war of aggression. Zelenskyi wants to lead the country into the European Union and, following a number of financial scandals, has promised Western donors a categorical fight against corruption and reforms. After Jermak's arrest, however, he did not comment on the allegations.
As a confidant of Zelensky, Yermak was also significantly involved in the international negotiations to end the war for a long time. There have long been rumors in Kiev that he and others are having a residence built near Kiev in the "Dynastia" villa district in the town of Kosyn.
At the hearings last week, Jermak's lawyer, Ihor Fomin, accused the court of presenting nothing but conjecture. There was no evidence for the accusations. He had requested that Jermak be released on affordable bail.
