The Pechersk District Court of Kyiv has chosen a measure of restraint for the head of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries (KRAIL), Ivan Rudy, in the form of detention without the right to bail. This was reported by Suspilne.
According to the court's decision, Rudy will remain in pre-trial detention until February 4, 2025. He is suspected of facilitating the activities of Russian online casinos in Ukraine.
In a comment to Suspilne following the selection of the measure of restraint, Rudy stated that the accusations against him are fabricated. When asked if he knew that the company granted a license for gambling activities was connected to the Russian Federation, Rudy replied that it is the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) that is competent to provide any comments or conclusions to KRAIL regarding any applicant.
"And even if the information comes from a private source or from law enforcement, it must be thoroughly verified, and we do not have the function or ability to establish any facts. That is, we can gather information, we can forward it to the competent authorities according to its affiliation, and only based on their conclusions can we proceed to make our decisions," he said.
Detention of the Head of KRAIL
On December 18, sources from UNIAN reported on the detention of KRAIL head Ivan Rudy.
Later, the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) officially announced the detention of the head of the Commission for the Regulation of Gambling and Lotteries on suspicion of aiding the aggressor state. It was noted that this pertains to support for the activities of online casinos in Ukraine, the owners of which are Russians.
Recall that on December 4, the Ukrainian parliament supported increased control over the gambling business, which includes, in particular, a ban on advertising gambling. The draft law provided for the liquidation of KRAIL and the establishment of a new authorized body in its place (by April 1, 2025).