Recently dismissed Ukrainian Ambassador to Washington Olga Stefanyshyna is being investigated by Ukrainian anti-corruption officials, DPA and Ukrinform reported today.
Prosecutors have asked the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court to set bail of 15.312 million hryvnias (approx. 300,000 euros) for Stefanyshyna, who is also a former deputy prime minister and justice minister. The indictment alleges that Stefanyshyna is at risk of absconding, noting that while holding high-ranking government positions and during her tenure as ambassador to Washington, she established contacts that could help her evade justice.
The prosecutor's office also said that she holds several foreign and diplomatic passports and has the ability to freely cross the state border of Ukraine.
According to Radio "Free Europe"/Radio Liberty, prosecutor from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) Vitaly Rybalkin told reporters that Stefanyshyna had been notified that she was suspected of illegal enrichment and filing false property declarations. According to him, the charge of illicit enrichment carries a sentence of up to ten years in prison.
Stefanyshyna previously said she had nothing to hide, emphasizing that suspicions are not evidence of guilt.
President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Stefanyshyna from her ambassadorial post on August 3. She had previously served as the president's special representative for cooperation with the United States and, earlier, as deputy prime minister for European and Euro-Atlantic integration.
Despite years of efforts to implement reforms, “Ukraine continues to be considered by “Transparency International“ as one of the most corrupt countries in Europe, DPA notes.