Leaked charges suggest head of President's Office oversaw money-laundering scheme for bail payments

Leaked documents from a criminal case allege that Kyrylo Budanov, who heads the President's Office, directed his deputy Iryna Mudra to launder approximately Hr 150 million and move the proceeds through Sense Bank to pay bail for former Energy and Justice Minister Herman Halushchenko. The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) uncovered the scheme, which also implicated lawmaker Maksym Mykytas and legal policy chief Viktor Dubovyk.

Transcripts published by Hromadske cite Budanov by name and patronymic, showing his involvement in meetings with Sense Bank executives and in instructions to Mudra. The charges describe Mudra as seeking favor with the President's Office official and acting under his supervision. Responses were requested from the President's Office, Budanov, Mudra and NABU, while the bureau declined comment.