The AP VAKS is reviewing the evidence in the Orlov case: the defense has alleged document forgery and the arrest of a key witness
After a two-month hiatus, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court today, August 18, resumed consideration of the appeals in the case of Volodymyr Orlov, former deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, whom the trial court found not guilty of extorting a $200,000 bribe in exchange for granting a land plot to business owners.
During the latest hearing in the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC), evidence was examined. The court began reviewing the materials provided by the prosecution.
Volodymyr Orlov called this evidence questionable and drew attention to procedural violations and the testimony of the key witness, Gonchar-Torop:
“In particular, the prosecutors provided a paper copy of a power of attorney allegedly issued to Gonchar. We have repeatedly emphasized that this is only a copy. Furthermore, Ms. Smakota, the director of AlfaVeahaus LLC, clearly stated during questioning that she does not know anyone with the last name Gonchar and did not authorize anyone to handle this matter. She cannot acknowledge this power of attorney because she has not seen the original and does not recall whether she signed it at all. The court was indeed surprised that a mere copy had been included in the case file. One of the judges even asked, “Do you want us to render a decision based on a copy of a power of attorney?”
Furthermore, according to Orlov, the prosecution’s sole piece of evidence is based on the testimony of a person who cannot be trusted at all:
“In the first instance, Judge Larisa Zadorozhna had already cast doubt on Gonchar’s testimony. In the Salnikov case, Judge Mikhailenko also expressed doubts about his statements. We are currently awaiting the High Anti-Corruption Court’s Appeals Chamber’s assessment of Gonchar’s testimony. Moreover, Gonchar himself is currently being held in a pretrial detention center as a suspect under Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine and is implicated in corruption offenses. How anyone can trust such a witness at all is a big question.”
The Detention of Gonchar-Torop
According to media reports and social media sources (which were later confirmed during the court hearing), SBU officers from the Department for Combating Corruption previously detained Oleksiy Gonchar, who is linked to covert work for law enforcement and special services. The detainee is reported to have used a number of aliases—Shevchenko, Karpenko, Torop, and Topor.
According to investigative journalists, Gonchar-Torop, a native of the Russian Federation, had long been enlisted by law enforcement agencies as a staff informant to stage fabricated provocations. In particular, he appeared as an informant in the case against former head of the State Judicial Administration Oleksiy Salnikov, testified as a witness in the case against former Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazev, as well as in the case of the former deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration, Vladimir Orlov, who was later acquitted by the High Anti-Corruption Court. In the Orlov case, Gonchar-Torop allegedly acted on behalf of a private company that had not authorized him to do so, continuing his provocations even after the company refused to cooperate.
The detainee is currently charged under Part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations). According to investigators, in exchange for monetary compensation, he arranged for men of draft age to be falsely employed by the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense to evade mobilization.
The Case of Volodymyr Orlov
It should be noted that the investigation into this case lasted 15 months. Investigators alleged that Volodymyr Orlov had demanded $200,000 in exchange for facilitating the lease of a 19-hectare forest plot for recreational activities by a private company. Prosecutors from the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office sought a severe sentence for him—10 years in prison with confiscation of all property.
The former official himself called the case fabricated from the outset and linked it to a politically motivated order. He described the bail of 22 million hryvnias previously set for him as excessive pressure from the system.
On February 12, 2026, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) acquitted Volodymyr Orlov, the former first deputy head of the Dnipropetrovsk Regional State Administration. Judge Larysa Zadorozhna found him not guilty in the case involving the solicitation of an unlawful benefit.
Following the decision of the court of first instance, the case was referred to the HACC for appellate review.
The next court hearing is scheduled for August 27 at 9:00 a.m. The court will continue to review the evidence.
