Following the prosecution’s submissions, Iryna Mudra’s defense began presenting its arguments.

The lawyers filed a number of motions:

• Jurisdiction: To provide the prosecutor’s resolution on the impossibility of separating the case materials to confirm that the case falls specifically under NABU’s jurisdiction.
• Official powers: To obtain documents concerning Mudra’s specific official duties. The defense stressed that, according to established practice, the prosecution must clearly specify which official (governmental) powers the suspect allegedly used in her position.
• Evidence: To obtain the full set of records of covert investigative (search) operations, as the materials provided are, in the lawyers’ view, incomplete.
• Witnesses: To summon and question a witness in court.

The prosecutor objected to all of the defense motions. The court partially granted the motion to question the witness, but only with regard to character references. The court refused to order the disclosure of the requested documents.

The court then began hearing from people willing to act as guarantors for Iryna Mudra. Among them was Kyiv’s Chief Rabbi, who said he was convinced that Mudra would not let the “community” down and was willing to vouch for her. Another person, a serviceman who had previously worked with Mudra, also expressed his willingness to act as a guarantor. He said that she had helped meet the needs of military personnel.

The court then questioned witness Zakhar Tropin, a lecturer at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. He spoke about Mudra’s professional skills, in particular noting that she had helped facilitate the ratification of the Rome Statute and the establishment of a special tribunal.

The court then moved on to the defense’s substantive arguments. The first lawyer referred to a phrase made public by NABU stating that corruption should not be fought but rather “headed and controlled.” He argued that the words had been taken out of context and actually concerned the ratification of a convention. According to the lawyer, it was Mykytas who said “headed,” while Mudra herself said that “fighting corruption is a very good thing.”

According to the defense, the risks were also unsubstantiated, as none of them materialized either during the covert investigative measures or at the time Mudra was served with the notice of suspicion.