Criminal case dropped against Hrymchak, who remains under night arrest

A criminal case alleging the filing of a fraudulent declaration
has been closed against Yuriy Hrymchak, the former deputy minister of
temporarily occupied territories, he announced on his Facebook page on May 12.
The investigation of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau found no wrongdoing in
the 2016 electronic declaration of income and assets filed by Hrymchak, who
enjoyed close ties to former President Poroshenko and former Internal Affairs
Minister Yuriy Lutsenko. The decision came after the High Anti-Corruption Court
ruled on Apr. 9 to reduce Hrymchak’s arrest conditions to night arrest
from 24-hour house arrest. Criminal cases of abuse of authority, attempt at a
crime and incitement to crime remain open against Hrymchak in relation to an August police sting operation
that allegedly caught him accepting a USD 480K bribe.

Zenon Zawada: Hrymchak is
among the highest profile politicians to have been arrested under the Zelensky
administration. The sting operation that produced his arrest was questionable
from the very start, and we believe the authorities were truly looking to get
under their control someone with close ties to former President Poroshenko and
his top prosecutor, Yuriy Lutsenko. Hrymchak could have served as a valuable
witness in criminal cases against them.

But now it’s apparent that President Zelensky will
toe the line established by his predecessors by not prosecuting any high-profile
politicians or oligarchs. (The exception to this rule was Viktor Yanukovych,
who oversaw the controversial criminal convictions of former PM Tymoshenko and
former police chief Lutsenko). So as Hrymchak’s value to the top authorities
gradually fades, so is the likelihood he will be prosecuted for any crime, or
serve as a witness in other high-profile cases, for that matter.