Former judge Tandir, accused of killing a National Guard soldier, delivered his closing statement
Oleksiy Tandir, a former judge of the Makariv District Court who is on trial for a fatal drunk-driving accident, delivered his closing statement. He wore a T-shirt to the hearing with a print making a reference to presiding Judge Ivan Bandura, and the sentencing in the case has been scheduled for October.
Tandir spoke for less than five minutes, stating that he saw no point in wasting time, since, in his opinion, the court’s decision had already been prepared in advance. The defendant accused the court of refusing to question defense witnesses, summon experts, fully examine the audio files, and grant access to the impounded vehicle; he also claimed that the court was creating a “media spectacle.”
The trial lasted three years, during which Tandyir was held in pretrial detention. He is accused of striking and killing 22-year-old National Guard soldier Vadym Bondarenko at a checkpoint 30 seconds before curfew. Tandir has pleaded not guilty, while the prosecutor and the victim’s family are seeking the maximum sentence—10 years in prison. If convicted, he will become the first judge since Ukraine’s independence to serve an actual prison sentence for a fatal accident while driving under the influence.
Source: Ghanna Mamonova on Facebook.
As a reminder, on the night of May 26, 2023, Oleksiy Tandir, the intoxicated chief judge of the Makariv District Court in Kyiv Oblast, struck and killed a 23-year-old National Guard officer at a checkpoint.
The High Council of Justice approved Tandy’s detention. The Court of Appeals, to which Tandy had appealed, subsequently upheld the pretrial detention order.
