Court orders detention for two 'Forrest Gump' case suspects

Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court has ordered the detention of Valentyn Yelizarov and former lawmaker Maksym Mykytas in the Forrest Gump case, according to Transparency International Ukraine and Suspilne. Yelizarov, believed to be the de facto head of Metrobud LLC, faces bail set at 20 million hryvnias ($448,104), while Mykytas is held with bail at 30 million hryvnias ($672,156).

Prosecutors had requested longer bail for Mykytas, at 200 million hryvnias ($4.5 million). Mykytas is accused of creating a criminal organization, raiding illegal assets, and laundering funds for former Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko. On the same day, the court also began a hearing on a pre-trial restriction for Iryna Mudra, accused of laundering 150 million hryvnias ($3.4 million) in criminal cash.

On Aug. 19, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau launched a special operation called Forrest Gump, targeting a group that laundered 150 million hryvnias ($3.4 million) to post bail for Halushchenko. The scheme allegedly involved a former Presidential Office deputy head, a lawmaker, and the chairman of a state bank. Searches were conducted at Sense Bank's headquarters and Mudra's home, leading to her resignation.

On Aug. 20, investigators released recordings of a separate raiding scheme, dubbed Themis, where members allegedly illegally seized and attempted to control company assets and real estate worth millions of dollars.