Ukrainian President's Office still to decide who will chair Agricultural Ministry, sources say

Anhelina Strashkulych, Iryna Balachuk — Thursday, 2 May 2024, 08:54

Mykola Solskyi. Photo: Ukraine's Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food on Facebook

The President's Office has not yet decided who will head Ukraine's Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food instead of Mykola Solskyi.

Source: Ukrainska Pravda’s article A small government with a great prime minister. How Shmyhal’s team wants to change the Cabinet of Ministers

Details: Within the next 2 weeks, the parliament is expected to dismiss the Minister of Agriculture, Mykola Solskyi, who was served with the notice of suspicion by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau on embezzlement related to land on the sum totalling 500 million hryvnias (US$12.5 million).

Ukrainska Pravda’s several sources said the position was considered for Taras Vysotskyi, the First Deputy Minister of Agriculture, but he also faces a criminal case related to misappropriation of over 62 million hryvnias (US$1.5 million) in procurement. Therefore, there is currently no final decision.

At the same time, the President's Office considered merging the Ministry of Agrarian Policy and Food with the Ministry of Economy, as was the case during the government of Oleksii Honcharuk. However, sources within the government say they ultimately rejected this idea. One reason cited is the previous unsuccessful experience with the merger of these ministries.

Background:

On 23 April, Mykola Solskyi, the-then Minister of Agrarian Policy, was exposed for embezzlement of state land worth 291 million hryvnias (approx. US$7.2 million) and attempted appropriation of another 190 million hryvnias (approx. US$4.7 million) worth of land.
Solskyi commented on the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine's announcement of suspicion and confirmed that the case against him relates to the period 2017-2018.
Solskyi’s deputy, Markiian Dmytrasevych, who is currently on a working 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.
Solskyi submitted his resignation statement on 25 April.
On 26 April, the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine ordered that the Minister of Agriculture be placed in pre-trial detention as a preventive measure.
On the same day, Solskyi was released from custody on bail of UAH 75.7 million (approx. US$1.9 million).
Solskyi was released from custody on 26 April on bail of UAH 75.7 million (approx. US$1.9 million). He continued to carry out his ministerial duties.

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