The court has begun considering Mudra’s appeal; the judge partially closed the hearing.
Kyiv • UNN
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court is considering Iryna Mudra’s appeal in the "Forrest Gump" case. The hearing was partially closed due to the defense’s arguments.
The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court began hearing the appeal filed by the defense of Iryna Mudra, former Deputy Head of the Office of the President, in the "Forrest Gump" case, which concerns the laundering of UAH 150 million deposited as bail for a person involved in the "Midas" case, UNN reports.
Details
During the hearing, Mudra’s lawyer Artem Krykun-Trush asked for the hearing to be closed to the press, arguing that "during the HACC hearing, bullying actions were constantly taking place in the courtroom, including by representatives who are present at today’s hearing."
As a result, the head of the office and I were forced to involve the police. Secondly, defense materials were filmed; there were repeated remarks, and screenshots confirming this. All of this is publicly available, and by enlarging and zooming in on the relevant footage, one can even see what is contained in the defense documents. Given that, in responding to the arguments concerning the substantiation of the suspicion and the risks, details of my client’s private and personal life, her state of health, her mother’s state of health, and matters related to her minor son will be discussed, we asked then, and are asking now, that the court proceedings be closed. Because separating this and closing the hearing each time would simply be inconvenient both for the court and for media representatives
Ultimately, the hearing was partially closed to the press.
Additional information
Mudra’s defense is asking for a preventive measure in the form of a personal recognizance. The defense maintains that, when determining the amount of bail, the trial court judge failed to properly assess Mudra’s financial situation and did not establish her ability to pay.
We remind you
Mudra is suspected as part of the NABU "Forrest Gump" case. According to the investigation, the case concerns the laundering of UAH 150 million deposited as bail for a person involved in the "Midas" case.
On August 25, the High Anti-Corruption Court imposed a preventive measure on Iryna Mudra.