Ukrainians may be fined a record 12 thousand hryvnias

Ukraine is preparing to amend the legislation regarding liability for failure to appear in court. The Verkhovna Rada plans to consider a bill that provides for a significant increase in fines for those participants in the trial who ignore their obligations to appear at the appointed time.

According to the new provisions, the minimum fine for evading a summons from the current 757 hryvnias may increase to 1,514 hryvnias. Maximum fines may reach 12,112 hryvnias, which is twice as much as under the existing norms.

These changes will affect various participants in the trial, including witnesses, victims, suspects, defendants, and civil defendants who fail to appear without a good reason after receiving an official notification. The document provides that confirmation of receipt of the summons will be sufficient grounds for imposing a fine.

It is noted that in the event of repeated failure to appear within a year after the imposition of the penalty, the fines will increase, and this may lead to disciplinary liability for malicious evasion.

At the same time, the draft law provides for the possibility of taking into account good reasons for failure to appear. If a person can provide documentary evidence of the circumstances that prevented him from appearing, the penalty may be canceled, and the decision will be made individually.

In addition, control over compliance with duties by representatives of justice is being strengthened. If a prosecutor or lawyer fails to appear at a hearing without good reason, the court is obliged to initiate disciplinary proceedings. In the event of repeated disregard, the information will be sent to the leadership of the relevant bodies for action.

The legislators explain that these changes are aimed at ensuring the timely consideration of cases and increasing the responsibility of all participants in the process. They believe that delays due to the non-appearance of individuals are a serious problem in the judicial system, and increasing fines should be an effective method of influencing discipline.