The appeal hearing in the case of the dismissal of the mayor of Chernihiv has been postponed to February 1.
Today, about 30 mayors of large and small cities came to Lviv to support Vladislav Atroshenko. We expect a fair decision,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyy wrote on social media.
He also came to court and posted several photos from the audience. On one of them, in the Atroshenko support group, they noticed the mayor of Kyiv, Vitali Klitschko.
The head of the Association of Ukrainian Cities said on the eve of the meeting that “the fate of not only one person is decided in court, but also the protection of local self-government,” and “the political siege of Chernigov harms the whole country and must end.”
Sadovyi said it would be an unprecedented trial that would bring together many mayors.
Representatives of local self-government are outraged that the court of first instance applied a sanction to Atroshenko that was not provided for by law – it dismissed the mayor, for whom almost 80% of Chernihiv residents voted.
Recall, the mayor of Chernigov Atroshenko is accused of the fact that his driver took his wife out on March 5 during the shelling of Chernigov. For this, the Yavorivsky District Court of the Lviv region banned Atroshenko from holding the post of mayor of Chernihiv for a year.
case history
Atroshenko said that Zelensky’s subordinates are trying to remove him from the management of the city. A few days before, the head of the city, who had taken the fight with the enemy, was not allowed to go abroad for a conference on the restoration of the country. And the then deputy head of the President’s Office, Kyrylo Tymoshenko, hinted to Atroshenko that the city would manage without him.
Subsequently, this dispute seemed to calm down somewhat. So far, in December, the district court of the Lviv region has not found the mayor of Chernihiv guilty of corruption. And he did not deprive him of the right to hold public office for a year. Including the position of the mayor.
Violations in the actions of Atroshenko anti-corruption authorities found in the summer. Even at the beginning of the great war, the wife of the mayor went abroad in the car of the city council – Toyota Camry.
In the summer, Atroshenko and his driver went abroad in his wife’s Tesla. The mayor was not released from the country then. The driver took out Atroshenko’s private car, and brought the service car back.
This whole story is based on two cases. The State Bureau of Investigation is engaged in the use of official Toyota for private interests. And the National Agency for the Prevention of Corruption in September drew up a protocol for a conflict of interest. It was he who ended with the scandalous decision to eliminate the mayor.
According to the NAPC, Atroshenko instructed the driver to take out the private Tesla. However, the driver was not his personal, but worked for the city hall and was formally on a business trip. That’s why it was defined as a violation.
At the same time, according to the law, such a violation is punishable only by a fine. Deprivation of office is provided in case of relapse.
This was acknowledged by the court itself in its decision. The judge from the Lviv region wrote: he appoints Atroshenko an additional punishment, they say, it is it that meets the principles of the anti-corruption strategy.
Source: Racurs
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.