The Appeals Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice partially overturned the sentence of the MP Anatolii Hunko on February 9. He was sentenced to four years in prison and detained in the courtroom.
This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences.
After the appeal decision, the verdict became legally binding, so Anatolii Hunko must lose his deputy mandate.
The court partially satisfied the complaint of Hunkoʼs defense lawyers and reclassified his actions as abuse of influence. The previous instance of the Supreme Court of Justice found the MP guilty of incitement to bribery and fraud and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
Hunkoʼs property is to be confiscated and he is banned from holding government positions for 3 years. However, the sentence can still be appealed in cassation.
What is Anatolii Hunko accused of?
According to NABU and SAPO, Hunko, in collusion with his assistant and another accomplice, demanded and received part of a bribe from a representative of an agricultural company.
The bribe was demanded in exchange for permission to cultivate state lands of the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences. Moreover, $130 had to be paid for each hectare of land. In total, it was $221 000, of which it was necessary to transfer a deposit of $85 000. Hunko was caught red-handed in August 2023, when he was being transferred a deposit.
And in early February of this year , a new suspicion was announced against Hunka. Law enforcement officers believe that he appropriated land belonging to the National Academy of Agrarian Sciences worth more than UAH 30 million and grew grain there for sale. The investigation into this case is still ongoing.
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