HACC acquitted three officials at once: details of the case
23 September 2025 06:35
On Monday, September 22, a panel of judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court acquitted three defendants in a case of abuse of office. This was reported by the HACC, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports
The court found not guilty the former mayor of Chornomorsk, the former deputy head of the State Agency of Water Resources, and another official of the agency.
According to media reports, these are ex-mayor of Chornomorsk Valeriy Khmelnyuk, State Water Resources Agency official Valeriy Babchuk, and First Deputy Head of the State Water Resources Agency Mykhailo Khorev.
Why they were acquitted
The ex-officials were suspected of fraud with land in the waters of the Chornomorsk port. According to the investigation, they illegally transferred 0.7 hectares of land to a developer, causing the state losses of almost UAH 25 million.
The court concluded that there was no corpus delicti in the charges.
The court found the former mayor of Chornomorsk not guilty of committing a crime under Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.
In addition, the court acquitted the former deputy head of the State Agency of Water Resources, who was accused under Articles 28(2)(a), 364(2) and 366(1)(a) of the Criminal Code.
Another former official of the State Agency of Water Resources was also found not guilty under similar articles.
Cancellation of arrests
Along with the verdict, the court canceled the seizures of property imposed in the framework of criminal proceedings.
What’s next
The decision has not yet entered into force.
The verdict may be appealed to the HACC Appeals Chamber within 30 days.
