A lawyer in Kharkiv was convicted for attempting to bribe a judge in a case involving indecent exposure
The Kholodnogorsk District Court of Kharkiv found attorney Yevgeny Ponomarev guilty of attempting to offer an unlawful benefit to a public official and sentenced him to 4.5 years in prison with the confiscation of part of his property. In addition, the court’s verdict bars him from practicing law for three years.
The case was opened in April 2023 following an incident on the “Krasnograd–Kharkiv” commuter train, where female passengers reported inappropriate behavior by a man who exposed his genitals to them. The man was detained at the station; he turned out to be a lawyer.
At the police station, the detainee initially offered $200 to cover up the offense, and three weeks later attempted to give the investigating officer $800 to have the case dismissed, after which he was arrested by operatives from the Department of Internal Security.
During the court hearing, the defendant claimed that law enforcement officers had set him up, but evidence from covert investigative operations refuted his version of events. At the same time, the initial criminal case regarding disorderly conduct had previously been closed due to lack of evidence of a crime, and the man was only held administratively liable in the form of a 51 hryvnia fine.
Source: Absolution Leaks.
We previously reported that a 39-year-old man, who may turn out to be journalist Taras Kozuba, is suspected of sexually abusing underage boys in Kyiv.
We also note that the National Police detained a 35-year-old Kyiv resident who sexually abused children and sold pornography abroad.
