The statements made by the private clinic Odrex about "pressure on business" and "raider seizure" are nothing more than an attempt to "save face" and restore an already tarnished image. This is happening against the backdrop of a scandal regarding the death of a patient after treatment at the Odesa clinic and criminal proceedings in which two doctors of the clinic have already been notified of suspicion, UNN writes.
Despite the existing conclusions of the forensic medical examination and the official status of the suspects, the clinic continues to publicly insist that the arrest of Odrex's corporate rights is allegedly pressure on business and an attempt at a raider seizure. However, experts consider such statements to be a typical information tactic aimed at distracting society from the essence of the case.
Retired judge Oleksandr Sytnikov, in a comment for UNN, emphasized that public statements about "pressure on business" in such situations usually have a purely image-building character.
"This is a way of protection not only legal, but also social. If they admit their mistakes, they will immediately lose their clientele. In addition, in our country there is no practice of admitting such things," Sytnikov said.
According to him, in the context of a high-profile scandal, such statements are more part of a PR defense than a legal strategy. Former Deputy Prosecutor General, lawyer Oleksiy Bahanets, holds a similar opinion. In a conversation with a UNN journalist, he confirmed that such public statements are an acceptable form of defense, but the line between "defense position" and "obstructing the investigation" should not be crossed.
"They are defending themselves in this way, you cannot forbid them, it is their right. It is another matter if they use this method of defense to obstruct the establishment of the truth in criminal proceedings, then, of course, law enforcement officers must react to this. If pressure is exerted on the investigation, if someone interferes with the investigation in this way, law enforcement officers have many opportunities to put them in their place so that they do not interfere," Bahanets concluded.
Why were the corporate rights of the Odrex clinic seized?
The decision of the Pechersk court to seize Odrex's corporate rights was made within the framework of criminal proceedings regarding the death of a patient - Ukrainian developer Adnan Kivan. Two doctors of the clinic who treated him have already been notified of suspicion in the case. A forensic medical examination established that critical violations of medical care standards were committed during treatment, which, according to experts, could have led to the patient's death.
Despite this, the clinic's management continues to promote the rhetoric of an alleged "raider attack," which, according to the assessment of the victim's lawyer Oleksandr Dimoglov, is an attempt to shift the focus of public discussion from legal facts to an emotionally charged political plane.
"Statements about 'pressure on business' look not just manipulative - they are an attempt to shift attention from legal reality to the media plane. This is a form of defense that has nothing to do with the facts, but is designed to allow them to justify themselves to the public and preserve the clinic's image. This is the right of the defense - but it does not change the essence of the matter," the lawyer commented.
In addition, after the start of the court case regarding the death of Adnan Kivan, new evidence of possible violations in the medical institution began to emerge. Relatives of other Odrex patients publicly tell their own stories of "treatment." Victims and their families, relatives of deceased patients talk about the possible systemic nature of the problems: from probable falsification of medical documentation to extortion of significant sums of money for procedures that, according to them, had no justified medical necessity.
Such appeals only amplified the public outcry and raised questions about internal processes at the clinic. Against this background, the Ministry of Health created a special commission to check Odrex's activities and their compliance with licensing conditions. If violations are confirmed, the institution may lose its license, which would effectively mean the suspension of the clinic's operations.