On 3 December, the Bitsonar pyramid founder Alexander Tovstenko, suspected of organizing the murder-for-hire of his former colleague, was released from pre-trial detention under house arrest. The decision was made by the Kyiv District Court of Odessa, сообщил former company technician Yaroslav Stadchenko.
Judge Yulia Feduleeva удовлетворила the defense’s petition and placed Tovstenko under house arrest until December 25.
“Tovstenko left custody under Article 115(2) of the Ukrainian Criminal Code (‘intentional murder’ – ForkLog’s note), which does not provide for house arrest at all. A month earlier in this case the judge did not see any possibility for changes to the measure of restraint,” said Yaroslav Stadchenko.
He said that once free, Tovstenko “may try to bring the case to a conclusion and flee the country.”
Stadchenko appealed to Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky for help.
According to investigators, Alexander Tovstenko allegedly ordered the murder of Yaroslav Stadchenko (also known as Yan Novak). The suspect faces life imprisonment.
It was Stadchenko who revealed that Bitsonar, presenting itself as an investment fund for algorithmic cryptocurrency trading, was a Ponzi scheme. He also named the real organizer of the pyramid — a former Ukrainian official Alexander Tovstenko.
Exit scam Bitsonar: how a former Ukrainian official built a pyramid, passing it off as an investment fund
In an interview with ForkLog, Stadchenko claimed that Tovstenko has ties in the security services.
On August 26 in Kyiv, Yaroslav Stadachenko was abducted by unknowns. As later emerged, this was carried out by SBU officers to stage his murder. The client was detained during the transfer of the second part of the reward to the killer, amounting to $5,000.
In September Stadchenko stated to the FBI about misconduct by Alexander Tovstenko.
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