Lawyers for Ukrainian MP and European Solidarity party leader Petro Poroshenko have asked the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) to order the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) to register proceedings over alleged interference with the court and recognize Poroshenko as a victim in the case of former deputy head of the Office of the President Iryna Mudra concerning alleged pressure on the court, the Bukvy publication reported, citing the European Solidarity leader's lawyers.
"Materials from the criminal proceedings concerning the Phemida operation, which have been circulating in the media and social networks, showed that Iryna Mudra was carrying out instructions 'from above' and, through Ihor Dashutin, head of the Cassation Administrative Court within the Supreme Court, secured the necessary verdict in favor of Zelenskyy," the publication said in an article published Friday.
According to lawyer Ihor Holovan, a conversation between Mudra and Maksym Mykytas, a defendant in the Phemida case, concerning Dashutin is contained in NABU materials from covert investigative actions. At the time, the Cassation Administrative Court was considering Poroshenko's lawsuit seeking to overturn the sanctions decree.
"That is, Mudra confirmed that she was 'carrying out instructions' regarding the sanctions, that she was dealing with this issue in the courts and communicating with Dashutin to prevent a ruling in favor of Poroshenko," the lawyer said.
"Since Mudra's actions to influence the Supreme Court were directed against Petro Poroshenko, Poroshenko, as an opposition leader, should accordingly be recognized as a victim in these criminal proceedings," the lawyer said.
The HACC confirmed to Interfax-Ukraine that it had received a motion concerning the failure to enter information into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations (URPI), that is, a complaint against the relevant actions of NABU. A hearing on the complaint is scheduled for Sept. 25.
According to Bukvy, Poroshenko's lawyers filed a statement with NABU and the Prosecutor General's Office concerning the alleged criminal offense and also appealed to the High Council of Justice to establish the circumstances of the conversation between Dashutin and Mudra.
"The sanctions case is currently before the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court. We hope that this situation has come to light in time and will help us protect the judges of the Grand Chamber from further interference. Because the conditions and circumstances that led to such interference have not gone anywhere," the publication quoted lawyer Illia Novikov as saying.
Earlier, lawyer Holovan said that the circumstances surrounding pressure on judges of the Cassation Administrative Court within the Supreme Court should also be investigated in the criminal proceedings being handled by NABU. "We filed a motion with NABU to recognize Petro Poroshenko as a victim in these criminal proceedings. Since Mudra's actions to influence the Supreme Court were directed against Petro Poroshenko, Poroshenko, as an opposition leader, should accordingly be recognized as a victim in these criminal proceedings," he said.
On Sept. 2, during a meeting of a temporary investigative commission of the Verkhovna Rada on investigating possible unlawful actions by officials of state authorities, other state bodies and state-owned enterprises that could have harmed Ukraine's economic security, it became known that Mudra had allegedly exerted pressure on judges of the Cassation Administrative Court within the Supreme Court through its head, Dashutin, concerning sanctions against Poroshenko.
As MP Nina Yuzhanina of the European Solidarity faction said, Mudra discussed the issue with another defendant in the case in NABU audio recordings, and she called on members of the commission to summon Dashutin to a commission meeting. She noted that under the law, judges cannot be summoned to commission meetings in connection with their participation in the administration of justice, but Dashutin performed an administrative function in this case.
At a hearing on Aug. 25, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court upheld the measure of restraint imposed on Mudra, who is suspected in cases involving money laundering and raiding, the Forest Gump and Phemida operations, namely detention with an alternative bail of UAH 20 million.
On Aug. 19, NABU and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) released a video concerning the Forest Gump special operation. They exposed and notified of suspicion persons who had legalized UAH 150 million to pay bail for a defendant in the Midas case. On Thursday, Aug. 20, NABU and SAPO released a second video concerning corruption by the same senior officials under the name Phemida, concerning the exposure of unlawful seizure of real estate and corporate assets through the forgery of documents. Based on evidence obtained, NABU detectives and SAPO prosecutors notified members of a criminal organization and persons they had recruited of suspicion under Articles 255, 191, 206-2, 209, 358 and 361 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
