On October 7, judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court Lesia Fedorak, Ihor Strohyi, and Viktor Maslov appealed to Prosecutor General Iryna Venediktova and the High Council of Justice regarding pressure and interference in their work, including threats to their life and health.

The situation in question regards former MP Martynenko and his allies interfering with the judges’ work. There was an explosion on the court territory where head of the judicial panel in the case judge Fedorak normally parks her car, which has been linked to the case. The incident occurred on the night before October 1.

The judges’ statement says that defense attorneys regularly stall the process with unfounded motions, violate the procedure, and criticize the judges in the media. Even before the case was concluded, one of the defense attorneys claimed that the judges were violating the right to defense and initiated bringing them to criminal liability.

Have they run out of all legal methods?

The HACC is a professional and effective agency within Ukraine’s anti-corruption infrastructure. We realize that this effectiveness is the very reason why those involved in cases it tries feel the need to resort to illegal actions. Judges deserve guarantees of security and independence in order to be able to perform their work well.

TI Ukraine calls on the Prosecutor General to launch an active investigation as soon as possible, to identify those involved in the situation together with the investigators, and to ensure adequate punishment. The Judicial Security Service must make every effort to protect judges and their families, thus implementing the guarantee included in the law.

Judges’ security is the basis of their effective and independent work.

 

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TI Ukraine calls on the Prosecutor General to launch an active investigation as soon as possible, to identify those involved in the situation together with the investigators, and to ensure adequate punishment. The Judicial Security Service must make every effort to protect judges and their families, thus implementing the guarantee included in the law.