The Darnytskyi District Court of Kyiv has sentenced Mykhailo Bardonov, former First Deputy Head of the State Labor Service of Ukraine, to 9.5 years in prison with asset forfeiture. The former official was found guilty of accepting a bribe in the amount of 200,000 UAH.
The trial in Bardonov’s case lasted nearly a decade following his arrest on the night of July 16, 2016. According to investigators, the State Labor Service halted the operations of the Ukrainian-German joint venture «DIEX» in March of that year. Bardonov demanded a bribe from the company’s director to facilitate the issuance of required permits and restore operations.
The bribe was transferred in two installments:
First installment: Bardonov received 100,000 UAH on June 23, 2016, inside a vehicle on Desyatynna Street in Kyiv.
Second installment: The remaining amount was handed over through drivers on July 15, following the signing of a «tacit consent» letter by the agency.
Law enforcement officers seized the marked bills during a search of the official’s apartment, leading to his immediate detention.
Mykhailo Bardonov pleaded not guilty, claiming the business owner initiated the meetings and that his taped admissions during the search were made under duress. The court rejected these claims, ruling the covert surveillance recordings admissible as evidence.
«The court sentenced the defendant to 9.5 years of imprisonment, along with a three-year ban on holding positions in government authorities.»
The defendant will remain in custody until the sentence takes legal effect. Previous pre-trial detention periods will be credited toward his sentence on a «one day counts as two» basis. Bardonov was also ordered to pay 14,000 UAH in legal costs.
The court ordered the confiscation of significant assets to state revenue:
Real Estate & Vehicles: A 1/4 share of a Kyiv apartment and a Lexus RX 350.
Valuables: $152,000 in cash, four gold bars (60 grams total), five luxury watches, and a commemorative watch featuring the SBU emblem.
Electronics: An HP laptop, an iPad, and an iPhone 6S.
The 100,000 UAH seized as physical evidence of the bribe will be returned to the director of «DIEX.» The verdict may be appealed at the Kyiv Court of Appeal within 30 days.