The High Anti-Corruption Court refused to admit the recording of Tymoshenko and Kopytin as evidence following a review
Ukrainian and international experts have determined that an audio recording of a conversation between Yulia Tymoshenko and MP Ihor Kopytin, who is a defendant in a criminal case, shows signs of editing and outside interference. Despite this, the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) refused to accept the file as valid evidence in the case.
This was reported by the publication "Telegraph."
British digital forensics expert Joseph Nagdi, who works with UK law enforcement agencies, disputed the authenticity of the audio recording.
During his analysis, the expert concluded that the file contains clear signs of editing and outside interference, which casts doubt on its authenticity.
Similar findings were reached by experts at the Kharkiv Research Institute of Forensic Expertise named after Distinguished Professor M. S. Bokarius, who conducted an investigation at the request of NABU.
Their official conclusion states that the audio file was edited using Adobe Audition software, which is used for professional sound and voice processing.
According to media reports, during the hearing of the defense’s appeal against the notice of suspicion, VAKS Investigating Judge Oleksiy Kravchuk refused to accept the audio recording as admissible evidence due to signs of its unreliability.
It is separately noted that the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court did not overturn the position of the court of first instance.
Previously, concerns regarding the possible editing of this audio recording were expressed in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) and the European Parliament, which further drew attention to the case.
Two independent expert assessments—one international and one Ukrainian—indicate that the audio file was likely edited, while the court refused to recognize its evidentiary value, which became a central element in this procedural situation.
Prior to this, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court denied the MP’s appeal against the investigating judge’s decision to formally charge her. The court found the prosecution’s evidence in the case of alleged bribery of parliamentarians to be well-founded and upheld the ruling of the court of first instance.
NABU and the SAPO have completed their investigation into the case involving an alleged bribe offer to MPs by Yulia Tymoshenko, leader of the BYuT, and have made the case materials available to the defense for review prior to trial. The MP herself did not appear for the review.
As a reminder, the court lifted the seizure of some of Yulia Tymoshenko’s and her husband’s property.
