Judge of the Desnyanskyi Court accused NABU of pressure

Judge of the Desnyanskyi Court accused NABU of pressure

Judge of the Desnyanskyi District Court of Kyiv Roman Vintonyak reported interference in his activities.

The statement about this was published on the website of the High Council of Justice.

Vintonyak reported that while he was on vacation outside the city of Kyiv, detectives from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau searched his office and his assistant’s office. As a result, copies of a criminal case being heard in court were seized, as well as the assistant judge’s mobile phone.

The search was conducted as part of a criminal investigation into the preparation of a bribe offer to Judge Vintoniak for issuing an acquittal verdict. NABU obtained some information about this based on the results of operational and technical measures (OTM).

The exact date of the search is unknown, as Vintonyak’s statement has not been fully disclosed. However, it is referenced that as of February 27, 2025, the case was at the stage of witness interrogation. Earlier in 2023, the court appointed a commission-led forensic economic examination in this case.

The judge claims that the High Anti-Corruption Court did not authorize the seizure of copies of the case materials, so NABU’s actions are illegal. After the search, neither Vintonyak nor his assistant was summoned for explanations, and the judge is unaware of his status in this criminal case.

The actions of NABU are viewed by Judge Vintoniak as pressure on him.

In the Desnyanskyi Court of Kyiv, copies of the criminal case involving the former owner and director of LLC "Kyiv Sand" (now LLC "Ukrspetstehrembud") were seized. In 2018, this company won a tender from the Southwestern Railway for sand supply. It is stated that the company’s director knowingly submitted false information in documents regarding the volumes of sand delivered, resulting in a payment of 9 million UAH for sand that was not actually supplied.

Interestingly, the lawyers for the defendant in this case in the Desnyanskyi Court are former prosecutors Denys Mikulin, Maksym Komarnytskyi, and Ivan Prozorskyi. They, as part of a group of 15 people, including former chief military prosecutor Anatolii Matios, obtained licenses for legal practice from the Bar Council of Volyn Region on the same day, May 15, 2020. Subsequently, these lawyers worked under the brand of the law firm "Guarantee of Your Rights".

On April 1, 2025, NABU announced suspicions against three lawyers associated with AO "G.V.P.". They are suspected of unlawfully accessing a closed registry of court decisions, including rulings on search warrants, among others.

Simultaneously, media reports have surfaced that NABU illegally wiretapped the office of these lawyers, including their conversations with clients.