On May 20, 2025, the High Council of Justice declined to grant consent for the detention of a judge of the Western Economic Court of Appeal, who is suspected of accepting a bribe.
Iryna Malekh was charged with accepting a bribe in collusion with other judges—former Head of the Western Economic Court of Appeal Borys Plotnitskyi, as well as former Heads of the Economic Court of the Lviv Region, Vasyl Artymovych and Mykhailo Yurkevych.
In a submission to the HCJ, Head of SAPO Oleksandr Klymenko noted that Malekh’s communication with other defendants in the case was recorded on the day the bribe was received. During searches, $20,000 was seized from her, and the serial numbers on the bills matched part of the illicit payment. Malekh, however, claimed the money was a loan from Plotnitskyi.
At the HCJ meeting, the prosecutor cited several risks, including the possibility of Malekh going into hiding, obstructing the proceedings in other ways, or attempting to influence witnesses. It was also noted that during the upcoming hearing on the interim measure, the prosecutor intends to request UAH 10 million in bail as an alternative to detention.
Only three members of the HCJ voted in favor of the submission, while a majority of twelve opposed it.
According to investigators, the defendants promised to deliver “desired” court decisions in cases under consideration in the Western Economic Court of Appeal. This matter is related to a conflict between the co-founders of the private medical laboratory Aesculab.