Key facts
- Iryna Mudra, former deputy head of the President's Office, and ex-lawmaker Maksym Mykytas are facing charges in a corporate raiding scheme.
- Both appeared for bail hearings on August 21, with prosecutors seeking Hr 150 million for Mudra and Hr 200 million for Mykytas.
- The investigation, codenamed "Forest Gump," involves alleged money laundering of Hr 150 million and seizure of businesses and properties valued at over Hr 700 million.
- Mudra was charged with money laundering and fired by presidential decree.
- The National Bank of Ukraine is investigating how financial monitoring was circumvented.
Iryna Mudra, the former deputy head of the President’s Office, and Maksym Mykytas, a former lawmaker, appeared before the High Anti-Corruption Court on August 21 for bail hearings related to a corporate raiding scheme. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) requested that Mudra be held in custody with the possibility of posting Hr 150 million ($3.3 million) in bail. The court ordered Mykytas to be held in custody with bail set at Hr 200 million ($4.47 million).
Both are among suspects in the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) investigation codenamed "Forest Gump." On August 19, NABU announced a special operation to expose a criminal organization led by a current and former Ukrainian lawmaker, involving senior officials from the President's Office. Investigators allege the suspects laundered Hr 150 million ($3.4 million) and transferred funds through Sense Bank to post bail for a suspect in a prior corruption case, believed to be former Justice and Energy Minister Herman Halushchenko.
The National Bank of Ukraine (NBU) stated it is investigating how financial monitoring was circumvented. According to NABU, the suspects also allegedly seized control of a business valued at over Hr 248 million ($5.56 million) in the fall of 2025 and attempted to take possession of properties totaling Hr 207 million ($4.64 million) in May 2026. They also sought to gain control of a central Kyiv property worth over 500 million hryvnias ($11.2 million).
Mudra, who oversaw the judiciary at the President’s Office, is the highest-ranking suspect. She was charged with money laundering on August 19 and subsequently fired by presidential decree.