Former head of Western Court of Appeal on Economic Matters arrested in bribery case

The High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine has ruled to detain Boris Plotnitsky, who previously served as the chairman of the Western Court of Appeal on Economic Matters. He is accused of extorting a bribe of $1 million.

The court's decision was announced on 30 December and was broadcast live. Journalist Oleg Novikov also confirmed this information.

Conditions of detention

According to the ruling, Boris Plotnitsky will remain in custody until 27 February 2025. However, the court allowed for the posting of bail in the amount of 30.28 million hryvnia.

Defence arguments

The defendant's lawyers insisted on the application of house arrest as the preventive measure. They justified their request by citing their client's health condition. According to them, Plotnitsky had sought medical assistance multiple times over the past month.

However, the court deemed that the gravity of the charges requires a stricter approach. Considering the nature of the potential crime, preventive detention in the form of custody was selected.

Case context

The charges against Boris Plotnitsky are related to the extortion of a bribe on a particularly large scale, which constitutes a serious crime. Such cases attract close public attention as they touch upon issues of trust in the judicial system and the fight against corruption.