The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) has extended the procedural obligations until October 25, 2026, for three key figures in a high-profile corruption trial: Vasyl Artymovych and Mykhailo Yurkevych, former heads of the Commercial Court of Lviv Oblast, and Iryna Malekh, a judge of the Western Appellate Commercial Court. The ruling was issued following a motion submitted by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
All three defendants are currently out on bail and remain subject to specific judicial restrictions. Under the ruling, Vasyl Artymovych must continue to report any changes to his residence or employment, surrender his foreign passports, and refrain from communicating with witnesses or co-defendants. The court had previously lifted his requirements to wear an electronic monitoring bracelet and remain within Lviv Oblast. Similar restrictions apply to Mykhailo Yurkevych and Iryna Malekh, with Judge Malekh explicitly barred from leaving Ukraine without court authorization.
The SAPO prosecutor requested the two-month extension to ensure proper procedural conduct while the court prepares for trials on the merits.
«Extend the duration of the obligations imposed on the accused by two months. Set the expiration date of these obligations through October 25, 2026, inclusive,» the court ruling states.
According to investigation materials compiled by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU), the defendants allegedly solicited a $1 million bribe to secure favorable rulings at the Western Appellate Commercial Court. The sum was divided into installments based on the specific actions and roles of each co-conspirator. Law enforcement officers documented the transfer of an initial $75,000 installment, part of which was directly recovered from one of the judges during searches.
The High Anti-Corruption Court has scheduled a preliminary hearing as the case against the two former Lviv court heads and their colleague officially proceeds to trial.