HACC denies SBU general Vityuk's defence request to return indictment

Court ruling on defence motions

The High Anti-Corruption Court (HAC) continued the preparatory hearing in the criminal proceedings against Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) general Illia Vityuk. During the session, the court considered two motions filed by the accused's defence counsel. The lawyers requested the return of the indictment and additional time to study the case materials.

The court instance denied both requests. Regarding the motion for additional time, the court noted that the deadlines for reviewing the case materials had already been established by a ruling dated 28 May. In the court's assessment, this period was sufficient, and therefore the defence side is considered to have fully reviewed the documentation.

In total, the stage of reviewing the materials lasted approximately six months. In addition, the defence counsel had the opportunity to study the documents during the preparatory hearing itself.

Issues with transparency of case information

It is worth noting that information about the criminal proceedings against Vityuk is still absent from the "Judicial Power of Ukraine" portal. It was previously established that information about these proceedings had disappeared from public access.

In response to inquiries, the HAC stated that court staff had entered all necessary data into the case record card, and that no decisions restricting access to this information had been made.

Activists also contacted the portal administrator — the state enterprise "Information Judicial Systems" (SE "ISS"), which falls under the jurisdiction of the State Judicial Administration. This structure is responsible for the technical functioning of the resource, its software, and the accuracy of the published data.

SE "ISS" refused to explain why information about Vityuk's case had disappeared from the portal.

Details of the charges

The Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) and the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) are charging SBU senior official Illia Vityuk with illegal enrichment and declaring inaccurate information.

According to the investigation, Vityuk purchased an apartment in Kyiv for UAH 21.6 million and registered it in his wife's name. However, the contract stated the value of the real estate at UAH 12.8 million.