Court in Vinnytsia found the head of the news agency guilty of fraud and insulting military personnel
An indictment was submitted to the Vinnytsia City Court against a man accused under part 1 of Article 114-1 (obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and other military formations) and parts 1 and 2 of Article 190 (fraud) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
According to the prosecution, the man, who is the founder and head of a news agency, disseminated materials online aimed at discrediting mobilization measures, in particular the activities of the Territorial Recruitment Centers and Military Commissariats, and also allowed personal insults against servicemen while they were performing their official duties.
The prosecution believes these actions were aimed at forming a negative attitude towards servicemen during a special period.
Additionally, according to the prosecution, the man organized fundraising on his internet channels allegedly to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine, but used the collected funds for his own interests.
As reported by the court, throughout the trial the accused denied committing any punishable act and refused to give testimony based on Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine. The defense challenged the procedural actions in the criminal proceedings, stating that the criminal case was political persecution of the accused.
The court examined written and video evidence, questioned victims, witnesses, and an expert who conducted a linguistic examination.
Based on the evaluation of the evidence, the court concluded that guilt in committing the crime under part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine was not proven.
Assessing the evidence in terms of relevance, admissibility, and reliability, and the totality of the collected evidence in terms of sufficiency and interconnection for making the appropriate procedural decision, the court considers that the guilt of the accused in committing the crime under part 1 of Article 114-1 of the Criminal Code was not proven during the trial.
At the same time, the court established the fact of producing and disseminating materials containing insults to the honor and dignity of servicemen. These actions were qualified under part 2 of Article 435-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (insulting the honor and dignity of a serviceman, threat to a serviceman).
Separately, the court recognized the fact of fraudulent appropriation of funds during collections allegedly for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
Thus, the man was found guilty of crimes under parts 1 and 2 of Article 190 and part 2 of Article 435-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. The court sentenced him to a final punishment of 3 years imprisonment.
Currently, the verdict has not yet come into legal force.
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