“The Kuzminykh Case: The Trial Marathon Continues”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
For almost three years, Ukrainian courts have been considering a criminal case against MP Serhiy Kuzminykh, who was detained by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on suspicion of receiving 558,000 hryvnias as a “kickback” for a tender for the supply of medical equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Unfortunately, the expected quick review of the case has turned into a protracted trial, in which the MP’s defense uses strange arguments to delay the proceedings. Kuzminykh’s lawyer claims that the cash was transferred “improperly.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In his opinion, there is a correct way to transfer the “kickback”, but the lawyer does not specify which one, hinting that the transferor should have notified the transferee of the money. He also argued that since the funds were issued from operational funds, this indicates provocation, not a bribe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Over three years, 86 court hearings were held, 31 of which were canceled due to the absence of a defense representative, and the MP himself missed 22 hearings. The highlight was when, after the NABU detention, the case was reclassified from the article “bribery” to “abuse of influence”, which became the main argument of the defense. They insist that such a decision was made to obtain permission to conduct secret investigative actions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, other procedural manipulations occurred. For example, the situation with the delivery of the indictment became a reason for new discussions and delays in the process. Surprisingly, Kuzminykh tried to avoid responsibility by fleeing in a car that was not declared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The change of lawyers also became part of the strategy to delay the process, allowing new defense lawyers to challenge the terms of the investigation and postpone the hearing. According to the study, more than 80 people were released due to statutes of limitations, which adds another level of tension to the Kuzminykh case.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The situation appears increasingly complex in the context of what has been observed over the past three years, and the prospects for further consideration of the case remain questionable.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
“The Kuzminykh Case: The Trial Marathon Continues” For almost three years, Ukrainian courts have been considering a criminal case against MP Serhiy Kuzminykh, who was detained by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) on suspicion of receiving 558,000 hryvnias as a “kickback” for a tender for the supply of medical equipment. Unfortunately, the expected quick review […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":14,"featured_media":14660,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14659","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n