Denys Leshchenko, a prosecutor of the Berestyn District Prosecutor’s Office in the Kharkiv Oblast, has faced disciplinary action for improper procedural oversight in a wartime theft case. Due to a severe lack of evidence against the suspect, the court fully acquitted the defendant, and the QDCP (Qualifications and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors) ruled the prosecutor’s actions as a failure to perform official duties.
The disciplinary proceedings against Denys Leshchenko were initiated following a formal complaint by the head of the Kharkiv Oblast Prosecutor’s Office. The investigation revealed that since April 2023, Leshchenko had been leading a group of prosecutors in criminal proceedings under Part 4 of Article 185 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (theft committed under martial law).
Despite substantial contradictions in the case files, the prosecutor approved the notice of suspicion in November 2023 and forwarded the indictment to court in January 2024. However, proving guilt in court proved impossible.
In July 2025, the Kehychivka District Court issued a full acquittal due to unproven charges. The Court of Appeal later upheld the verdict, and on February 23, 2026, the Supreme Court of Ukraine delivered the final blow by refusing to open cassation proceedings, effectively closing the case.
The QDCP inquiry revealed that the prosecutor of the Berestyn District Prosecutor’s Office lacked a proper evidentiary basis. The case files failed to establish the exact time of the alleged crime, as well as the precise volume and value of the reportedly stolen diesel fuel. Furthermore, the forensic commodity expert evaluation was conducted without even providing the actual object of study to the expert.
«The prosecutor’s actions show signs of improper performance of official duties, which directly led to the acquittal verdict,» the QDCP concluded.
Denys Leshchenko strongly disagreed with the commission’s findings. In his official statement, he argued that the court’s acquittal was unlawful. The prosecutor also pointed out that another prosecutor had taken over during the trial phase and stressed that the leadership of the district prosecutor’s office had initially signed off on the sufficiency of the evidence.
Following the review, the QDCP officially recognized the misconduct. Prosecutor Denys Leshchenko was handed a disciplinary sanction: a three-month ban on promotions or transfers to any higher-level prosecuting authority.