Chernyshov assures: he will not run away from responsibility and seeks to preserve his reputation
Vice Prime Minister for National Unity Oleksiy Chernyshov, who is currently at the center of a high-profile case, stated during a court hearing that he has no intention of leaving Ukraine and running away from responsibility. Expressing his position, the official emphasized that the main thing for him is to preserve his good and high reputation, which was confirmed by an oath last year and will confirm his readiness to cooperate with law enforcement officers and the court. “I have no plans to flee Ukraine,” Chernyshov said bluntly. “I see no reason to hide, because I don’t understand who and why I need to hide from. My position is quite clear — I am a member of the Ukrainian government, and my responsibility is to be here and defend my reputation. This is my main value, and I strive to understand this case, because I really sincerely do not understand what exactly I am being accused of. I demonstrate openness and readiness to cooperate one hundred percent — this is my position.” In addition, the Deputy Prime Minister confirmed that his business trips and meetings in countries abroad are an integral part of his service and the performance of his duties. According to Chernyshov, these are exclusively work situations that do not indicate any evasion of duties or a possible attempt to avoid responsibility. Given the choice of a preventive measure for him on Friday, the prosecutor's office requested a bail of 120 million hryvnias for Chernyshov, questioning his ability to financially avoid responsibility. However, the politician's supporters insist that he has no intention of fleeing and agrees to cooperate with the investigation. The story began a few weeks ago, when the NABU and the SAPO reported the exposure of a large-scale corruption scheme in the construction industry, which allegedly caused losses to the state of more than a billion hryvnias. Five people were detained and suspected in this case, including former State Secretary of the Ministry of Regional Development Vasyl Volodin and former advisor to the minister Maksym Horbatyuk, as well as two defendants closely associated with Chernyshov. According to information provided by Ukrainian law enforcement officers and sources in political circles, about a month ago, searches were conducted in the office of the vice prime minister as part of investigative actions. On June 22, he returned to Ukraine from a business trip, after which on June 23 he immediately turned to the NABU - he received an official notification of suspicion of abuse of office and obtaining illegal benefits in an especially large amount for himself and third parties. Chernyshov has already stated that he considers this sudden accounting as politically motivated pressure, and assures that he fully cooperates with law enforcement agencies. At the same time, he emphasizes that his values are honesty and responsibility, and the desire to stay and prove his innocence is unconditional. In general, the situation around Chernyshov is gaining momentum, as society is actively discussing the possible motives of the investigation and the legal aspect of the case, and the political crisis itself is adding to the tension. Meanwhile, the politician declares that he has no intention of leaving the country and is determined to fight to the end for his honesty and image, because he considers them to be the main value in this situation.