Ukrainian parliament dismisses Minister of Agrarian Policy Solskyi

The Parliament has dismissed Mykola Solskyi from his post as Minister of Agrarian Policy and Food.

Source: MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak, First Deputy Chairman of the Rada's Tax Committee

Details: The decision was voted for by 273 MPs.

Solskyi, who is suspected of land deals worth 500 million hryvnias (about US$12.6 million), submitted his resignation on 25 April.

Background:

• Mykola Solskyi was caught in the act of seizing state land worth 291 million hryvnias (US$7.3 million) and attempting to seize land worth another 190 million hryvnias (US$4.8 million). 
• In addition to Solskyi, his deputy, Markiian Dmytrasevych, who is currently on a business trip abroad in connection with Ukraine's negotiations on accession to the EU as part of the agricultural bloc, was also served with a notice of suspicion.
• An Ekonomichna Pravda source who is close to Solskyi stressed that he was a suspect in the 2017-2018 cases, when he was practising law.
• Solskyi commented on the notice of suspicion by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau and confirmed that the case against him relates to the period 2017-2018.
• Solskyi’s defence team will appeal the court's decision. 
• On 26 April, the High Anti-Corruption Court chose to remand Solskyi in custody as a pre-trial restriction.
• Later, Solskyi was granted bail in the amount of 75.7 million hryvnias (US$1.9 million). He was released from custody.

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