The Lviv Appeal Court sentenced a Lviv resident to 4 years in prison for attempting to bribe the head of the police investigation department with $2,000 to help his son evade criminal liability. Initially, the man was fined 12,700 UAH, but the prosecution sought actual imprisonment.
As reported by ZAXID.NET, in July 2024, Ihor Pelenytsia from Lviv was sentenced for attempting to bribe the head of the police investigation department. He offered the investigator a $2,000 bribe to close the criminal case against his son for part 1 of Article 309 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (possession of drugs without intent to sell). The Lychakiv District Court imposed a fine of 12,700 UAH on Pelenytsia.
The prosecution disagreed with the court's verdict and filed an appeal. In the ruling of the appellate court, which was published in the court register in January 2025, it was stated that, according to the prosecutor, the first-instance court made inappropriate conclusions and incorrectly classified the defendant's actions under part 1 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code instead of part 3 of Article 369. The court changed the classification because the defendant claimed he did not know the specific position held by the police officer, and his office did not have a nameplate indicating the position. Therefore, the court excluded the "attribute of bribing a person in a responsible position".
The case materials include fragments of conversations between the defendant and the investigator, where in response to the police officer's question about whether he wanted him to assist in making a decision, the latter replied: "It turns out, yes, because you are in charge of that...". The prosecutor believes this indicates that the defendant was aware that the police officer held a managerial position. During the conversation, Ihor Pelenytsia also stated: "I ask you to help, or to give instructions for someone else to assist...".
This case was considered by a panel of judges consisting of Albert Belena, Vasyl Holovaty, and Oksana Malinovska-Mykich. After reviewing all the materials and arguments from both sides, the judges annulled the first-instance verdict, which proposed a penalty of a fine, and issued a new ruling sentencing the defendant to 4 years in prison without confiscation of property. The $2,000 bribe will be confiscated for the state’s benefit. The verdict can still be appealed.