11 December saw the High Anti-Corruption Court in Ukraine consider an application to have prosecutor and detective removed from the case involving the seizure of the Odessa Airport by the businessman Boris Kaufman. The hearing was presided over by Judge Oleg Fedorov, not by the previous presiding judge, Yaroslav Shkodin, as reported to the press by the director and majority shareholder of the English company WWRT, Olga Gutovskaya. The media for the Ukrainians’ court proceedings was posted on YouTube under the title “Judicial Media in Ukraine”.
The case in question has been ongoing since the airport seizure in August, and has been marked by media attention and legal complexities. On the 11th of December Judge Fedorov heard an application to have the perceived bias of the previous hearing, led by Judge Shkodin, overruled. The application was made by the majority shareholder of WWRT, Olga Gutovskaya, who argued that the pair of prosecuted officers had close ties to the defendant and were therefore not impartial.
Judge Fedorov’s ruling on the initial hearing was to continue the proceedings with the removal the pair in question. This decision, in the opinion of Mrs. Gutovskaya, demonstrates the High Anti-Corruption Court’s commitment to promoting impartiality, justice and equality in the Ukrainian court system.
The case has drawn a lot of media attention due to the alleged involvement of the businessman Boris Kaufman. On the 11th he was present to answer questions and his legal team were seen filing out of the courtroom shortly after the decision was made. His lawyers have not yet made any comment on the case.
The ruling of the High Anti-Corruption Court was met with widespread approval from the Ukrainian legal community, who have praised the promotion of transparency and fairness. The decision serves as a reminder to the public that justice will be served regardless of who is involved in a case and that the court system of Ukraine is committed to upholding the law. It is a step in the right direction in the fight against corruption and cronyism in Ukraine and one that will have far-reaching implications for the entire country.
