Court postpones hearing in the case of attack on Skhemy crew in Ukreximbank

The Kyiv Court of Appeals has postponed the hearing of the motions filed by the former Ukreximbank CEO Yevhen Metzher, former chief of banking security Ihor Telbizov, and former chief of internal security Oleh Osipov in the case where they stand accused of attacking Skhemy journalists, until February 24.

The decision was caused by the lack of some documents, Radio Liberty reports on Telegram.

The media outlet writes that Metzher and his former subordinates are asking the court to close the proceedings in the case due to the statute of limitations expiring.

The editorial team notes that the February 24 hearing may result in two possible outcomes:

• the court dismissing the motion and proceeding with considering the appeal by Skhemy: the journalists' defense insists that additional penalties should be applied, namely that Metzher should be deprived of the right to hold managerial positions in state authorities, local self-government bodies, state or municipal enterprises for three years.
• the court granting the motion, in which case the first instance court's ruling convicting Metzher, Telbizov and Osipov (and fining Metzher UAH 3400 Osipov and Telbizov UAH 1700 each) will be overturned.

In this case, the proceedings will be closed, and the attackers will be released.

Previously

On October 4, 2021, employees of the state-owned Ukreximbank attacked the "Skhemy" filming crew as they were recording an interview with the bank's board chairman Yevhen Metzher right in his office in Kyiv. When asked about a loan to structures affiliated with the "DPR," Metzher ordered that the journalists' cameras be taken away, the recordings of the interview be destroyed, and prohibited further filming. Moreover, the journalists were unlawfully detained in the office, not allowed to leave. Ihor Telbizov used violence against the journalists.

There are four defendants in the case: Ukreximbank's former board chairman Yevhen Metzher, the bank's ex-chief of information policy Volodymyr Pikalov, ex-chief of banking security Ihor Telbizov, and chief of internal security Oleh Osipov. They pleaded not guilty.

It was reported in January 2023 that the information policy director at Ukreximbank, Volodymyr Pikalov, had been conscripted.