The Kyiv Court of Appeals has partially upheld the appeal to change the preventive measure of Irpin Mayor Oleksandr Markushyn, who is suspected of illegally traveling abroad. He will be released from custody in the courtroom and sent to 24-hour house arrest.
A correspondent for Suspilne reports this from the courtroom.
Earlier, on January 24, the Pechersk Court of Kyiv remanded Oleksandr Markushyn in custody until March 22. His lawyers then filed an appeal.
"The investigating judge did not take into account the suspicion procedure: he did not acquire the status of a suspect, his property status was not assessed. The State Border Guard Service still allows single parents to leave. The original reason was to bring drones, and then to congratulate his son on his birthday. He did not do any harm," said Markushynʼs lawyer Ilya Vorobyov at todayʼs hearing.
Another defense attorney listed the state awards of the mayor of Irpin and noted that Markushyn was always in Irpin during the full-scale invasion and when the Russians were near the city, so "he cannot escape".
Oleksandr Markushyn himself had previously called the case “politicized and fabricated”. The prosecution insists that the suspicion is well-founded. According to the mayor, no one questioned him during the week he was in the pre-trial detention center.
"Iʼm not going to run away. I need to work for the community, because today there is arbitrariness and an illegal seizure of power in the city to resolve the commercial affairs of Karplyuk and the company," said Markushyn.
What preceded
According to the investigation, on August 24-30, 2022, Markushyn went to Italy not to help the military, but to see his son Mark, who was two years old at the time.
"I went abroad for a few days after the permission of the Kyiv Regional Military Administration, returned, brought two drones and saw my son. The regional police investigated this case for two months and found nothing, and the SBI "painted" suspicion in two days. I believe that the case against me is politicized and ordered by my opponents," Markushyn said at the court hearing on January 24.
He added that he was the sole guardian of his son, as his wife died a month after giving birth. At that time, Markushyn had not seen his child for six months, since she was taken abroad after the outbreak of hostilities in the region.
"I have the right to leave for my son without any additional permits, but I knew I would return with help, so I made it official," Markushyn noted.
According to the prosecutor, Markushyn did not provide any documents confirming volunteer activities abroad.
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