Lawyers from Kyiv hacked the court register and illegally received information about searches
2 April 00:34
The SAPO and NABU have exposed three Kyiv lawyers for unauthorized access to the Unified State Register of Court Decisions. This was reported by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
Crime scheme: how lawyers hacked the registry
On behalf of the Deputy Prosecutor General – Head of the SAPO, three lawyers from Kyiv were notified of suspicion under Part 2 of Art. 376-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (unauthorized interference with automated systems).
The pre-trial investigation established that from August 2022 to December 2023, the organizer and two executors, who worked in the same law office in the capital, systematically accessed the closed part of the USRPF using special software.
To implement the scheme, the lawyers engaged IT specialists who had previously been convicted of similar crimes. Using the login and password of a judge of a Kyiv court, they created a chatbot that allowed real-time tracking of information about planned searches.
“This allowed for real-time monitoring and obtaining information about possible planned searches, which were filed with the courts by law enforcement agencies, and provided them with access to the full text of court decisions available in the Register without depersonalizing the data,” the SAPO said.
What was the data used for?
The lawyers used the information obtained in their professional activities. In particular, access to non-public information helped them to warn clients in advance of investigative actions, such as searches, filed by law enforcement officers with the courts.
Particularly critical was the fact that much of the data related to criminal proceedings investigated by NABU detectives under the control of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).
“This actually led to the fact that in some criminal proceedings, the persons in respect of whom the detectives received decisions of the investigating judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court to grant permission to conduct a search were aware in advance of the possibility of such an investigative action, which ultimately prevented the investigation from achieving the purpose of the search,” the SAPO said.
What’s next?
The pre-trial investigation is currently underway.
Investigators are checking whether the lawyers are involved in other offenses, including corruption, that fall within the competence of the NABU.
“As of today, the pre-trial investigation into these facts, as well as into the possible commission of other offenses, including corruption, within the jurisdiction of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine, is ongoing,” the SAPO said.
The National Association of Bars of Ukraine filed a complaint with the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Bureau of Investigations regarding violations by the NABU – an illegal search and installation of a “wiretapping” in a lawyers’ office in Kyiv.
“The detectives not only eavesdropped, penetrated the lawyers’ office in the center of the capital, but also conducted illegal searches there “until the decision of the investigating judge was made without proper grounds”, which grossly violated the rights and legitimate interests of lawyers,” the letter states.
The association notes that the search was conducted without a court order and a basic prosecutor’s order. At the same time, the NABU detectives were aware that they were penetrating the lawyers’ office, since this address is official and registered in the register of lawyers.
In addition to the office premises, detectives simultaneously searched the lawyers’ homes, where their wives and young children were staying, and the lawyers themselves were effectively blocked by investigative actions in the office at that time.
At the same time, no documents or items were seized as a result of the search.
According to the Association, the decision on the illegal search was made by NABU detective Fedor Oliynyk, and the request for a search was granted post-facto by a judge of the High Court of Criminal Appeals.
The Association considers such actions by NABU to be “criminal intent.” In its opinion, the detectives wanted to obtain confidential information that clients told lawyers and find out the further actions of the defense.
The lawyers themselves found the “wiretapping” equipment on the floor of the premises in separate offices and directly in the negotiation room where communication with clients took place.
The Association emphasizes that the group of NABU detectives includes those who investigate cases against the clients of these lawyers.
The Association calls on the Prosecutor General to intervene in the situation and initiate a criminal case against NABU officials who committed crimes under Articles 162, 365 and 397 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal entry into another person’s property and illegal search by an official; abuse of power or official authority; commission by an official, using his official position, of any form of obstruction to the lawful activities of a defense attorney or a representative of a person in providing legal assistance).
