Chetverta Vlada files appeal lawsuit against prosecutors for refusing them access to information

Cover by IMI

The online media "Chetverta Vlada" has filed a lawsuit with the Court of Appeal against the Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office. The reason for this was the prosecutors' refusal to provide journalists with a copy of the investment agreement with a Rivne developer regarding the construction of houses for prosecutors on communal land, the publication's website reports.

The editors note that recently, the Eighth Administrative Court of Appeal opened proceedings upon request by a "Chetverta Vlada" journalist, who appealed the Rivne District Administrative Court's ruling.

In March 2023, the judge of the District Administrative Court closed the lawsuit filed by the journalist against the Rivne Regional Prosecutor's Office. The prosecutors did not provide the journalists with the agreement outlining the way the houses should be built, explaining their actions with multiple reasons, mainly that the document contains classified information and is not of public significance.

"Chetverta Vlada" notes that while the trial was in progress, the Prosecutor's Office sent the journalist a copy of the contract, which was the reason for the district court's ruling, which declined the journalists' lawsuit. However, in the sent document, almost all the important information is redacted.

"The information about the terms of construction, about the subject of the agreement, about the obligations and rights of the parties, about the warranty period for the quality of the finished work, about the responsibility of the parties, about the term of the contract, and the signatures of the people who represented the parties was redacted," the publication notes.

The publication believes that the Prosecutor's Office is trying to hide socially significant information and therefore will defend the right to information – this time in the court of appeal.