The father and son Hrynkevychs, who are suspected of causing almost one billion hryvnias in damage to the state by failing to fulfill contracts for the supply of clothing to the Armed Forces, do not care that they are being condemned by society. They have chosen certain defense tactics to avoid going to prison. This opinion was voiced by the former Chief Military Prosecutor of Ukraine, acting Prosecutor General Viktor Chumak in an exclusive commentary to UNN.
"If the lawyer tells them that such tactics will ensure a positive result and you will not go to prison, then the Hrynkevychs do not care how they will look in the eyes of the society that is following this case. Because for a lawyer, the result is important, not how someone will look in the eyes of a conventional society," said Viktor Chumak.
According to him, if the lawyers claim that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine allegedly had no claims against the Hrynkevychs' firms, it is necessary to understand what documents appear in the criminal proceedings. After all, the lawyer's task is to find any clue, his job is to destroy the case.
As for the suspicions against the Hrynkevychs, Chumak reminds that, according to the CPC, they are not guilty at the pre-trial investigation stage.
On the other hand, having initiated it, the SBI has no doubt that the suspicions are justified. The judge who imposes or extends a more severe measure of restraint also assesses the validity of the suspicions.
"The judge assesses whether there are enough or not enough documents. In particular, he relies on information of an operational and investigative nature that was not disclosed. The judge sees completely different documents than the public sees.
Therefore, this is a question for the judge - if the judge sees and believes that all this is justified, obtained legally, he can extend the measure of restraint.
The lawyers' accusations that this is not justified are again their position, and it has always been so. The judge himself makes a decision based on the law, the rule of law, his legal consciousness and conscience," added Viktor Chumak.
Recall
Ihor Hrynkevych is a suspect in two criminal cases. He was detained on December 29, 2023, for offering a $500,000 bribe to one of the heads of the SBI's Main Investigation Department for assistance in returning property seized from companies he controlled during the investigation.
The day after his arrest, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv imposed a pre-trial restraint on him. Hrynkevych was sent to custody with the possibility of bail. While in jail, Hrynkevych was served with a second notice of suspicion - of supplying low-quality clothing to the army.
In January, the Pecherskyi District Court of Kyiv remanded Roman Hrynkevych, a suspect in the case of UAH 1 billion worth of clothing for the Armed Forces, into custody.
In February, the State Bureau of Investigation seized the real estate and vehicles of Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych and his family members for involvement in a fraudulent scheme.
In March, the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv remanded Roman Hrynkevych, a suspect in the case of UAH 1 billion worth of clothing for the Armed Forces, in custody until April 17. The bail was reduced from over UAH 500 million to UAH 469 million.
In April, the Pechersk Court of Kyiv again extended Roman Hrynkevych's detention for two months and reduced his bail from UAH 469 million to UAH 393 million.
The Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv has canceled the seizure of some of the property involved in the case against Lviv businessman Ihor Hrynkevych.