Bail has been set at 140 million hryvnia (equivalent to almost 30 million Swedish kronor).
"I don't have that money," Yermak told reporters, according to the newspaper The Kyiv Independent.
Andriy Yermak denies the charges and says he will appeal the detention decision.
Yermak is suspected of laundering the equivalent of approximately SEK 96 million through a luxury construction project, according to the anti-corruption prosecutor's office, Sapo.
The allegations are part of a larger investigation with links to the energy sector and the state-owned company Energoatom. Nine people have already been charged in the investigation, including a former justice minister.
Yermak was forced to resign as chief of staff in November after a search was conducted at his home.
