Zaporizhzhia police opens a case following a statement from MTM director

The Zaporizhzhia district police has opened proceedings under the article "Gross violation of an employment contract" following a statement from Iryna Poliyektova, the director of the Zaporizhzhia communal TV channel MTM.

The spokeswoman for the Zaporizhzhia National Police HQ, police captain Anna Tkachenko, reported this to the IMI representative in Zaporizhzhia oblast.

According to her, the pre-trial investigation started on April 18, 2024.

"The pre-trial investigation in the proceedings under Part 1 of Art. 173 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine on gross violation of an employment contract has been initiated follwoing Iryna Poliyektova's appeal. The data was entered into the URPTI and a case has been opened. We are currently taking action to find out all the details related to the event," she said.

Anna Tkachenko clarified that no separate proceedings opened following the TV channel's allegations regarding pressure by Zaporizhia City Council officials have been reported.

As reported by IMI, the TV channel MTM is a communal company owned by the Zaporizhzhia City Council.

On April 12, the channel reported pressure and interference in their editorial policy by Yevhen Kovalenko, the chief of internal policy, press and information at the Zaporizhia City Council. The official denied the allegations and claimed corruption on the part of the channel's director, Iryna Poliyektova.

On March 7, 2024, the Ordzhonikidze District Court of Zaporizhzhia found Iryna Poliyektova guilty of failing to report a conflict of interest and passing a decision related to such a conflict, reported the Zaporizhia Investigation Center (ZIC). Poliyektova has filed an appeal against this decision to the Zaporizhzhia Court of Appeal.

The MTM director was suspended from work on Arpil 18, 2024 for the duration of the official probes.

The investigations are expected to be completed in mid-June. The employer will make further decisions regarding the channel director after that, and after hearing the ruling by the Zaporizhzhia Court of Appeal.