“Threw” the military for 1.7 billion: Petrenko’s case will be considered by a judge who has already ruled in his favor
Petrenko’s Thanos Technology LLC received more than UAH 1.7 billion from the Ministry of Defense for the purchase of critical products – bulletproof vests, thermal imagers, helmets, etc. However, the money was withdrawn abroad, and the ammunition never reached the fighters, writes stopcore
First, he cancels the decision to take the suspect into custody, and now he cancels the delivery of suspicion, dropping all charges against the pro-Russian businessman Nikolai Petrenko? Public activists of the NGO “Stop Corruption” suspected the judge of the Kyiv Court of Appeal Ivan Rybak of bias.
In particular, earlier Petrenko was handed a suspicion and wanted to be taken into custody, because the resourceful businessman “threw” the Armed Forces of Ukraine for 1.7 billion hryvnias, breaking defense order for ammunition for our soldiers. However, the attacker fled to the United States. In order for American law enforcement officers to transfer the unfortunate businessman to Ukraine, the Ukrainian court had to arrest him in absentia. The corresponding decision was made by the Pechersk Court. Themis decided to take Petrenko into custody.
His lawyers appealed the decision and the case fell into the hands of Judge Ivan Rybak. The latter made a decision in favor of the pro-Russian businessman. Moreover, he did this secretly from prosecutors and members of the public, because on the day of the meeting he said that the case would not be considered due to the absence of a lawyer, but he actually held a meeting where the decision to take Petrenko into custody was withdrawn.
Lawyer Petrenko Viktor Savchenko
After such a scandal, Rybak, logically, had no right to even come close to Petrenko’s affairs. However, now in his hands was the issue of handing the suspicion to Petrenko, who, according to public activists, they want to “rewind”, making the suspect completely “clean” before the law.
On the day of the meeting, activists of the NGO “Stop Corruption” came to the court to talk with Rybak. When asked why the judge released Petrenko from custody, he replied that the suspect “was not in custody”, referring to the businessman’s escape to the United States.
“We also asked why Rybak did not recuse himself, because he had already made a decision regarding Petrenko. The judge avoided answering and said, “Maybe you will catch me under the apartment?”, said human rights activist Roman Lytvyn. All meetings were recorded on video.
Judge Ivan Rybak
Reference:
A former assistant to the notorious regional prime minister Nikolai Azarov, a regular visitor to Moscow and the office of Viktor Medvedchuk, unfortunate businessman Nikolai Petrenko is the defendant in a high-profile case of misappropriation of funds allocated by the state for the army.
On April 7, 2022, SBU officers detained Nikolai Petrenko in the village of Kozin in the Kyiv region, but in another case, as StopKor learned from law enforcement sources, he was suspected of collaborating with the Russian special services, in particular, in collaboration with the FSB of the Russian Federation. Yes, by data Since the 2000s, General Sergei Lebedev, who once worked as director of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, has been his curator in the FSB since the 2000s. However, even despite such egregious facts, in a strange way, a clever businessman managed to avoid going to jail and even leaving Ukraine.
It should be noted that earlier Petrenko’s lawyer filed a motion to recuse judge Vita Bortnitskaya, but the court was denied – now she will continue to consider the petition for the election of a preventive measure for Petrenko. The case fell into her hands after Judge Rybak decided to cancel the choice of a preventive measure in the form of Petrenko’s detention and returned the case for consideration to the first instance – the Pechersk Court. Thus, the case came to Judge Vita Bortnitskaya. Activists say they hope for a fair decision in this high-profile case.
Marina Titova
