A Ukrainian court mandates the agricultural minister’s detention in connection with a corruption case.

Mykola Solsky is the first known minister under President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to be named a suspect in a corruption case.

TFD – Discover the latest development in Ukraine’s fight against corruption as President Zelenskyy takes a decisive stance with the arrest of Agriculture Minister Mykola Solsky in a significant corruption case.

On Friday, a Ukrainian court ruled that Mykola Solsky, the minister of agriculture, must be placed under arrest in order to address accusations that he participated in the unlawful purchase of state-owned land valued at approximately $7 million.

The claims, which concern the period from 2017 to 2021, are refuted by Solsky, who took office as agriculture minister in March 2022. A bail of 75.7 million hryvnias ($1.9 million) was set by the judge.

Although Solsky officially submitted his resignation on Thursday, he is still in his position while the parliament reviews his request. As far as President Volodymyr Zelenskyy is concerned, he is the first minister to be designated a suspect in a corruption investigation.

According to the judge, Solsky will be detained until June 24. At a court hearing on Thursday, prosecutors stated that he might spend up to 12 years in prison for the charges against him.

Solsky was not available for comment at this time.

Landmines have been placed throughout fields, farms have been captured, and Black Sea export routes have been blocked by Russia’s full-scale invasion. Solsky, 44, has been at the core of Ukraine’s efforts to maintain its grain sector.

According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, the accusations are related to a plan to purchase land worth 291 million hryvnia ($7.35 million) and attempt to purchase land for 190 million hryvnia that is owned by the state.

Prosecutors said that the land was illegally acquired from two state corporations and given to war veterans with the understanding that they would lease it to certain private companies.

Solsky did not profit from any such plot, his attorney and he stated as much during the tribunal on Thursday.

The European Union has received an application from Kyiv, and the minister of agriculture of that nation will play a major role in the talks to incorporate its massive grain economy into the EU’s 27 member states.

When contacted by Reuters, a significant Ukrainian farm union declined to comment on the Solsky detention verdict.

In an effort to demonstrate his zero-tolerance stance against corruption, Zelenskyy dismissed his military minister last year in response to accusations of fraud involving the ministry.