The HACC has postponed the first preparatory hearing in the case concerning corruption in Kyiv’s land and budget sectors. According to investigators, officials of the Kyiv City State Administration and the Kyiv City Council set up a scheme in 2023–2024 to illegally privatize land plots in the city center for development. The defendants allegedly used a so-called “toilet scheme”: they identified promising land plots and registered ownership of fictitious structures on them in the names of persons under their control.

The case is currently being heard by a single judge, newly appointed HACC Judge Oksana Hutsal.

Defendants Petro Olenych, Mykhailo Terentiev, Olena Marchenko, Roman Bliumin, and Oleksii Mushta appeared at the hearing. Oleksandr Spasybko and Alisa Sobol joined via videoconference. Defendants Denys Komarnytskyi and Olena Bohoslavska, however, ignored the hearing.

On Alisa Sobol’s remote participation, the prosecutor asked the court to decide at its own discretion whether hearing her by videoconference was appropriate. He noted that Sobol is on the national and international wanted lists, has long evaded investigators, and has systematically ignored investigative actions.

Another defendant, Olena Bohoslavska, is also reportedly hiding abroad, in Vienna, as is Denys Komarnytskyi.

Given the defendants’ repeated failure to appear, the prosecutor filed a motion for special court proceedings (in absentia) against Denys Komarnytskyi, Olena Bohoslavska, and Alisa Sobol.

The parties also submitted several other motions, including to return the indictment to the prosecutor, replace the bail payer, and lift the seizure of property.

Even so, the court was unable to proceed to the substance of the case. Besides the absence of two defendants, it emerged that Oleksii Mushta had no lawyer — his counsel had been drafted into the Armed Forces of Ukraine the day before.

The preparatory hearing was adjourned until October 30.