The case of MP Oleksandr Yurchenko has entered its decisive stage — closing arguments. Today the floor went to the prosecutor.
In his statement, the prosecutor said the case concerns the “sale” of the Ukrainian parliament's legislative function. Yurchenko, at the time an MP and head of the subcommittee on household waste management, used the intermediary Fishchenko to solicit and receive an unlawful benefit for amending the draft law on waste management.
According to the prosecutor, Yurchenko's role was to ask for the bribe, ensure the proposals were added to the law, and personally confirm receipt of his share of the funds. Fishchenko acted as handler and intermediary: he connected Yurchenko with the foreign investor's representative, Demchenko, negotiated the size of the benefit, and personally collected the money to avoid handing it directly to the MP.
The prosecutor cited recorded conversations discussing bribe amounts, meeting dates, and the terms for introducing the amendments.
He recalled Yurchenko's breach of the MP's oath and brought up his past — prosecution for shoplifting in 2009 and driving under the influence of drugs in Lviv. The prosecution also stressed Yurchenko's systematic failures to appear at hearings and his breaches of his obligations, notably leaving Kyiv region without permission, as evidence that the current bail is ineffective.
In conclusion, the prosecutor asked the court to find Yurchenko guilty under Article 368(4) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and under Article 27(4) in conjunction with Article 369(4), and to impose a cumulative sentence of 11 years' imprisonment, a three-year ban on holding office in state and local government bodies, and confiscation of all his property. He also asked that bail be replaced with detention until the verdict takes legal effect.
Although the examination of evidence had concluded and the process had reached its final stage, the defense proved unready to present its arguments. The judge therefore announced a recess until August 25, expressing regret that the lawyers had not prepared in time even though the hearing schedule had been agreed.
At the start of the hearing, the defense had also submitted a series of new documents and motions. Counsel filed a criminal complaint against Yurchenko's assistant, Zhyhun, accusing him of giving false testimony and of using the MP's bank card without authorization. The judge, however, noted that these claims were inconsistent: in 2022, Yurchenko himself had stated that Zhyhun withdrew cash and handed it to him — directly contradicting the defense's current account.
The court also rejected a motion to examine Yurchenko's fellow committee members as witnesses, since the defense could not explain which circumstances they would confirm, and Yurchenko is not charged with influencing them. It further left without consideration a statement alleging interference with justice over the forfeiture of bail to state revenue.
At the previous hearing the court ruled to sever the case against Ivan Fishchenko from these proceedings, as he has been mobilized into the Armed Forces of Ukraine since 2022.
