Professor from the Odesa university was acquitted in a bribery case.
The Primorsky District Court of Odesa acquitted a former lecturer from an agricultural university, who was accused of receiving bribes. The court ruled that the evidence presented by investigators was inadmissible and insufficient, and also overturned the seizure of the defendant's property.
In Odesa, the Primorsky District Court acquitted a former lecturer from the Odesa State Agricultural University in a bribery case. The evidence presented by the prosecution was deemed inadmissible and insufficient by the court.
According to the investigation, in July 2013, the lecturer received bribes from students and university staff totaling 1,100 Ukrainian hryvnias. He is accused of five instances of receiving improper benefits (ranging from 200 to 400 hryvnias) for assisting students in passing exams and obtaining grades in various subjects.
During the trial, the defense disputed the allegation of extortion and emphasized gross procedural violations. The court found that key evidence provided by law enforcement officials did not meet legal requirements. Specifically, materials from audio and video recordings were deemed inadmissible due to violations in their collection. Furthermore, the recordings were unclear and did not allow for the identification of individuals.
The main witnesses – students who had filed complaints about accepting bribes – never appeared in court during the proceedings. The court also noted that the 1,100 hryvnias seized were not marked, and investigators did not conduct a procedure to verify their transfer, making it impossible to prove their origin as an illegal benefit.