The HACC continued questioning MP Serhii Kuzminykh, who is charged with trading in influence, despite his latest attempt to have the hearing postponed. The grounds this time: his lawyer failed to appear, having fallen ill before the hearing and reportedly been hospitalized. The court nonetheless decided not to interrupt the trial, since Kuzminykh is charged with a non-grave crime and had agreed his questioning strategy with his defense lawyer.

The HACC recently moved on to questioning the MP, and he began giving free narrative testimony, in which he flatly rejected the trading-in-influence charges.

The defendant said he had not demanded an unlawful benefit, had not organized corruption schemes, and had not received money as a reward for influencing tenders. Kuzminykh pointed to alleged procedural violations during the searches and the gathering of evidence. He explained his contacts with other witnesses — hospital staff and tender committee members — as purely professional and parliamentary activity.

During the questioning, the court repeatedly asked Kuzminykh not to read out evidence and correspondence, as this turned his narrative testimony into an examination of evidence. The requests had no effect.

Once the narrative testimony was finished, the HACC gave the prosecutor the opportunity to question the defendant. Kuzminykh, however, refused to answer the prosecutor, as he considers the case fabricated by NABU and SAPO staff. He agreed to answer only his defense lawyer's questions.

The court was therefore forced to adjourn the MP's questioning until October 6. The judges allowed the defense lawyer to join by videoconference; if he does not exercise that right, the court will proceed to closing arguments.

The statute of limitations in the case expires as early as January 2027. Given the pace of the hearings and the defense's constant procedural abuses, completing the case in the HACC and the HACC Appeals Chamber within the prescribed time limits appears impossible — even with continuous hearings.