The Ukrainian Minister of Agriculture, accused of corruption, was released on bail

Ukraine’s Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food Mykola Solsky was released on bail today pending an investigation into allegations that he was involved in the illegal acquisition of state land worth about seven million US dollars, Reuters reported.

Solsky denies any wrongdoing. The charges are believed to relate to events between 2017 and 2021, before he was appointed minister in March 2022. He was detained this morning but later told Reuters he had posted bail of 75.7 million hryvnias ($1.9 million).

The minister resigned yesterday but is technically still in his post until parliament considers his resignation, according to Reuters. Solsky is the first minister in President Volodymyr Zelensky’s government to officially become a suspect in a bribery case.

The investigation is expected to determine whether Solski should be charged and prosecuted. Yesterday, the prosecutor’s office stated at a court hearing that the law provides for imprisonment for up to 12 years for such charges.

Solsky, 44, is a central figure in Ukraine’s efforts to preserve its grain industry after Russia’s full-scale invasion blocked export routes to the Black Sea, scattered mines across Ukrainian fields and occupied vast tracts of farmland.

Kiev is a candidate for EU membership, and its agriculture minister will be an important player in negotiations to integrate the country’s vast grain industry into the bloc.

According to prosecutors, Solsky was involved in a group of 12 officials and businessmen who orchestrated a scheme to expropriate land worth 291 million hryvnias (US$7.35 million) from two state-owned firms. According to the state prosecution, the group also tried to illegally transfer other land worth 190 million hryvnias, but ceased its activities when the investigation began.

The prosecutor’s office explained that the lands were transferred to war veterans on the condition that they would then lease it to private companies, and the original ownership documents were destroyed, BTA reported.

Zelenskiy has made efforts to demonstrate zero tolerance for corruption and last year replaced his defense minister amid allegations of corruption related to the military department, Reuters notes.