AMCU Chairman Pavlo Kyrylenko — charged with illicit enrichment and false declaration — sought the court's permission to travel abroad to attend an OECD Competition Committee meeting in Paris in June.
Kyrylenko and his defense argued that Ukraine is currently in the process of obtaining associate member status on the OECD Committee, and that from June 22 Ukraine may gain voting rights and access to EU countries' antitrust investigation materials. On these grounds, the defendant insisted that his personal presence was required for the document submission and voting procedures.
During the hearing the court asked whether these powers could be delegated to AMCU deputy chairs, as provided for under Article 10 of the Law of Ukraine on the Antimonopoly Committee. Kyrylenko replied that it is traditionally he who represents the agency internationally, and that his deputies have never participated in events of this format. In his view, European partners take a firm position: they are willing to engage only with agency heads, and lower-ranking representatives are often not admitted to such negotiations.
When asked about the consequences of his previous absence from similar events, Kyrylenko stressed that this particular meeting is critical, as it concerns Ukraine's obtaining official OECD member status.
Asked why the documents cannot be signed remotely, by way of correspondence, as practiced for example by Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko, the official replied that this is a “last resort” option and that the AMCU chair's personal signature is a mandatory procedural requirement.
As proof of the necessity of the trip, Kyrylenko submitted to the court a relevant authorization to represent Ukraine's interests.
The prosecutor opposed the motion, arguing that the documents provided by the defense contained no information establishing that only Pavlo Kyrylenko could represent Ukraine at the conference.
The court was not persuaded and denied the motion.
Kyrylenko had previously filed a similar motion, which was also denied; on that occasion he was replaced by another AMCU official.
Pavlo Kyrylenko is charged with failing to declare assets and illicit enrichment, while his wife Alla is charged with aiding illicit enrichment. According to the investigation, Kyrylenko's 2024 declaration omitted 20 real estate properties and a vehicle worth over UAH 72 million. His and his wife's combined official income for 2020–2023 amounted to just UAH 4.7 million.
