Supreme Court rejects motion of Manher's defense in Handziuk murder case to transfer hearing from Kyiv to Kherson
The Supreme Court rejected the motion of the defender of the chairman of Kherson Regional Council, Vladyslav Manher, to transfer criminal proceedings on charges of his client in ordering the murder of the adviser to the mayor of Kherson, activist Kateryna Handziuk from Kyiv to Kherson.
"On August 4, 2020, the panel of judges of the Third Judicial Chamber of the Cassation Criminal Court as part of the Supreme Court dismissed the motion of the defender of the head of Kherson Regional Council to transfer criminal proceedings on charges of this official and another person in ordering and organizing an attack on the adviser of the mayor of Kherson from Pechersk District Court of Kyiv to Kherson City Court of Kherson region," says the Supreme Court website.
The report does not indicate the names of the suspect and the victim, but it follows from the case circumstances that the matter concerns Manher and Handziuk, respectively.
In addition, the panel of judges of the Cassation Court did not satisfy the submission of the chairman of Kyiv Court of Appeal to send the materials of this criminal proceeding from one court to another within the jurisdiction of different courts of appeal.
As reported, on July 31, 2018 in Kherson, an unknown person poured concentrated sulfuric acid on activist Handziuk near her house. The victim with burns was taken to a local hospital, but was soon transferred to a medical facility in Kyiv. Handziuk passed away on November 4.
The defendants in the case - the chairman of Kherson regional council Manher, MP's assistant Ihor Pavlovsky, ATO ex-soldier Serhiy Torbin and Oleksiy Levin (Moskalenko) are accused of committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 27 (types of complicity), paragraph 4, 6, 11, 12, part 2 of Article 115 (premeditated murder) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
On June 15, the court allowed to detain Manher for a coerced appearance for a trial. On June 19, the court placed Manher in custody until July 28 without the right to post a bail.
The court found guilty five direct perpetrators of the attack on Handziuk and sentenced them to imprisonment.
