Budanov on the suspicion notice for Mudra: “the reaction is absolutely straightforward and simple”

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov, has commented for the first time on the corruption investigation known as “Forrest Gump,” one of the suspects in which is his former deputy Iryna Mudra.

He made the statement in a comment to Channel 24.

Budanov called for waiting for the decision of the High Anti-Corruption Court, emphasizing that the case is being heard by the presiding judge of HACC — the highest level in the judicial hierarchy.

“The reaction is absolutely straightforward and simple. Everything is, as they say, in the hands of the court. The person who is now from the OP, my former deputy, has appeared before the court, and the presiding judge over her case is the head of the High Anti-Corruption Court. That is, there is no one higher than him in this hierarchy of judges. We will wait to see what he says,” — said the head of the OP.

Anti-corruption authorities announced suspicion notices against Iryna Mudra in two high-profile cases. The first is “Forrest Gump”: the investigation established that the official, together with other members of a criminal organization — including former MP and developer Maksym Mykytас and MP from the former Opposition Platform — For Life party Vadym Stolar — facilitated the laundering of 150 million hryvnias obtained through criminal means. These funds were subsequently used to pay bail for one of the suspects in the “Midas” case — preliminarily referring to former Minister of Energy and Justice Herman Halushchenko. Companies under their control and the management of the state-owned Sens Bank were also involved in the scheme.

The second case involves raiding. According to the investigation, the suspects in the “Forrest Gump” case illegally seized high-value real estate properties in Kyiv through document forgery — specifically, court rulings and ownership documents. The value of the assets of the enterprises they seized in the autumn of 2025 amounts to more than 248 million hryvnias.

The HACC is currently selecting a preventive measure for Mudra. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office is petitioning for her arrest with the possibility of posting bail in the amount of 150 million hryvnias.