On November 20, the HACC granted the request of the defense and overturned the fine in the amount of UAH 3,028, which had been previously imposed on the accused for failure to appear in court.
Stefanishyna's defense attorney justified the overturning of the fine by the fact that:
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court hearings were postponed not because of Stefanishyna, but because of the non-appearance of numerous defense attorneys and defendants, who were stalling the process;
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the accused was on a business trip (the defense attorney provided evidence to confirm this fact together with the motion);
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the accused respects judicial proceedings and is actively engaged in the field of the European integration of Ukraine.
At the hearing, Stefanishyna's defense attorney filed a motion to separate materials related to her into another proceeding. The accused Ivashchenko expressly stated his disagreement with such an idea due to the employment of the Deputy Prime Minister, entering into a dispute with Judge Kruk and making impolite statements towards the court.
Olha Stefanishyna, the Minister of Justice and Deputy Prime Minister for European Integration, is accused in the case of embezzlement of over UAH 2.5 million allocated for research on the adaptation of Ukrainian legislation to EU standards. The events took place in 2013–2014, when the Ministry of Justice was headed by Olena Lukash.