The Anti-Corruption Center won its case against Portnov in the Supreme Court
The Anti-Corruption Action Center has won its case in the Supreme Court against Andriy Portnov, the former deputy head of the Presidential Administration during the Yanukovych era. The court confirmed that the allegations regarding his ties to pro-Russian activities do not require refutation.
This was reported by the Anti-Corruption Center.
“The Civil Cassation Court of the Supreme Court overturned the decision of the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv, issued by Judge Serhii Vovk, as well as the appellate ruling in the case of Andrii Portnov v. the Anti-Corruption Center,” the statement reads.
In 2023, Portnov filed a lawsuit against the Anti-Corruption Center, demanding that it be recognized that he is not a pro-Russian activist, as well as a ban on calling him a collaborator, traitor, or accomplice of the Russian Federation. The lawsuit concerned a column by the CPC and Automaidan in which Portnov was mentioned among individuals against whom the state could impose sanctions due to pro-Russian activities.
“Judge Vovk granted this lawsuit. This decision was an example of how the courts are used to pressure civil society organizations and the media, forcing them to refrain from critical assessments and restricting freedom of speech on matters of public interest.
And now the Supreme Court has overturned the decisions of the Pechersk Court and the appellate court. It is important that Judge Vovk’s decision was overturned precisely because of its illegality, not because of Portnov’s death.
“If the Supreme Court had considered the decision lawful, it would have left it in force—even despite the plaintiff’s death. Instead, the court explicitly removed this decision from the legal framework. Portnov is no longer with us, but that did not prevent us from winning the case against him,” the Center for Media and Law concluded.
In 2023, Portnov also filed lawsuits against journalists and the editor-in-chief of Censor.NET over the terms “collaborator” and “traitor” used against him, and demanded that the Cabinet of Ministers remove a petition calling for sanctions against him.
As a reminder, the body of former Yanukovych adviser Andriy Portnov, who was shot dead in Madrid, Spain, is set to be buried in Kyiv. It has already been handed over for repatriation to Ukraine.
We also previously reported that Andriy Portnov, who was killed in Spain, had transferred ownership of a luxury mansion to his children a few months before his death.
Lawyer Andriy Portnov was in Ukraine a few days before his murder in Madrid. There, he met with top officials responsible for law enforcement agencies.
