Today, the HACC was scheduled to begin questioning MP Serhii Kuzminykh in the case concerning trading in influence and a UAH 558,000 bribe allegedly received for securing a private company's win in public procurement tenders, but the hearing was postponed once again.

The reason: one of Kuzminykh's new defense lawyers had reviewed the case files only in part.

Citing a violation of Kuzminykh's right to defense, the attorneys asked the court not to begin questioning the defendant and to give the lawyer one more week to review the case files.

The court granted the defense motion. The lawyer has until September 28 to complete the review of the case files. This deadline is final: the court will treat any extension of it as an abuse of procedural rights.

As a result, Kuzminykh's questioning has been postponed yet again. The court has been unable to question the MP for over a month. Meanwhile, the statute of limitations in the case expires as early as January 2027. This creates a risk that, with the proceedings dragging on, the court will not manage to deliver a final decision in the Kuzminykh case. The prosecutor requested continuous hearings, but for now the panel of judges can sit only once a week, on Mondays from 12:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Serhii Kuzminykh is charged with trading in influence. The trial has been repeatedly delayed by procedural motions, recusal motions, and participants' failure to appear. At the previous hearing on September 14, the court was also unable to move on to questioning the MP after he brought in new defense lawyers, who were given time to review the case files.

The court has previously found signs of abuse of procedural rights by Kuzminykh. Compelled appearance, monetary penalties, and forfeiture of bail to the state have already been applied in the case, and the MP's preventive measure was changed to round-the-clock house arrest.