Anti-corruption court approves plea deal with ex-presidential adviser Shylo

Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has approved a plea agreement with Artem Shylo, a former adviser at the Office of the President. It sentenced him to eight years in prison but released him from serving the term, Ukrainian outlet Ekonomichna Pravda reported on 13 October.

Instead of imprisonment, Shylo was given a three-year probation period, according to the outlet. In practice, he avoids prison as long as he complies with the terms of the probation.

Charges and fine

The court found Shylo guilty of organising the misappropriation of property on an especially large scale and of laundering criminal proceeds, Ekonomichna Pravda said. The agreement covers the episode involving a "back office" used to seize funds of Ukrzaliznytsia, Ukraine's state railway operator.

Under the deal, Shylo must pay a fine of UAH 204 million. The court allowed him to pay in instalments over one year, at UAH 51 million each quarter.

What a plea deal means

A plea agreement in Ukrainian criminal proceedings is a deal between the prosecution and the defendant, in which the suspect admits guilt in exchange for an agreed punishment. A judge must approve it before it takes effect. The HACC is the specialised court that hears high-level corruption cases brought by Ukraine's anti-corruption bodies.

Details not yet available

The report, based on a single source, does not say who else is involved in the Ukrzaliznytsia case, how much money was allegedly taken, or what Shylo or the prosecutors said about the agreement. It also does not say whether the ruling can be appealed or whether there has been any official reaction. RealUA has not independently verified the details, which come from Ekonomichna Pravda's report of the ruling.

Suspended sentences in plea deals involving officials often draw public criticism in Ukraine. No such reaction was included in the source material for this report.