The NABU and the SAPO served suspicion notices to Vasyl Artymovych, the head of the Lviv Regional Economic Court (who has held the position of head since March 2023) and, according to journalists, allegedly, Mykhailo Yurkevych, the former head of the court, who has been retired since April 2023. The officials are suspected of extorting an unlawful advantage in the amount of USD 1 mln from a representative of a private company.
According to the investigation, the mentioned individuals promised to adopt favorable decisions in cases pending in the Western Economic Court of Appeal and even prevent the contract killing of the whistleblower. Detectives documented the transfer of USD 75,000, a part of the alleged bribe.
Previously, searches were conducted at the residence of Judge Artymovych and Plotnitskyi, who had served as the chair of the Western Economic Court of Appeal since 2018, but was dismissed by the High Council of Justice in August 2023.
