Lawyer of the leader of European Solidarity party, Ukrainian MP Petro Poroshenko, Ilya Novikov, said that he is preparing an appeal to the High Council of Justice in connection with information about possible pressure on judges of the Cassation Administrative Court within the Supreme Court.
According to Novikov, this concerns, in particular, a possible conversation between the Deputy Head of the President’s Office Iryna Mudra and Head of the Administrative Court of Cassation within the Supreme Court Ihor Dashutin. "We are currently preparing this information for an appeal so that they can express their views on this topic," he said on Channel 5.
The lawyer links the situation to the consideration of the lawsuit to cancel the sanctions imposed by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy against Poroshenko. He drew attention to the postponement of the announcement of the decision in the case: initially it was planned for April 3, but the meeting was canceled due to the absence of Judge Olha Kashpur.
"Kashpur's application for a vacation was supposed to be approved by the head of the Administrative Court of Cassation of the Supreme Court. At the same time, in the case distribution system on April 3, she appeared as a judge to whom new cases were distributed. This requires a separate check," Novikov noted.
He added that the final decision was announced only at the end of June, which, in his opinion, could create opportunities for influencing the court.
Three judges – Olha Kashpur, Viktoriya Matsedonska and Zhanna Melnyk-Tomenko – ruled in favor of the authorities. Two others – Olesya Radyshevska and Mykhailo Smokovych – expressed separate opinions, in which they indicated the grounds for satisfying Poroshenko’s lawsuit and canceling the decree on sanctions. According to Novikov, the actions of the administrative head of the court should be subject to verification not only by the NABU and the temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada, but also by the High Council of Justice.
