Seven acquittals in two weeks: Filatov assesses consequences of cases against Dnipro City Hall
In Dnipro, courts have handed down a series of acquittals in cases involving city council officials who had previously been suspected of embezzling budget funds. According to Mayor Borys Filatov, seven defendants have been acquitted in just the past two weeks, while there have been nearly 300 such proceedings overall.
As reported by Censor.NET, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov stated that courts are acquitting city council officials and employees one after another in cases that had been opened several years ago, including during the local election period.
According to him, seven people have been acquitted in just the past two weeks, ranging from a deputy mayor to contractors carrying out municipal projects. There were nearly 300 such cases in total.
Political nature of the criminal proceedings
Filatov believes that the criminal proceedings against local self-government representatives were politically motivated. According to information previously circulated by the media, in 2020, one MP from Servant of the People, who is now under investigation by NABU, demanded that the mayor and his team not take part in the elections, threatening pressure and criminal cases. After they refused, the mayor said, criminal proceedings began to be opened en masse against city council officials, municipal enterprises, and contractors.
He also noted that the opening of the cases was accompanied by an active media campaign. Law enforcement agencies published high-profile statements, while certain bloggers and activists spread accusations even before court rulings were issued, which, in his view, violated the presumption of innocence.
Cases were considered in courts for years
The Dnipro mayor raised the issue of accountability for those who spread false information and took part in discrediting representatives of local self-government.
According to him, the cases were considered in courts for years, and throughout that time, the accused were forced to prove their innocence. At the same time, despite changes of personnel within law enforcement agencies, the proceedings themselves were not closed.
Filatov also said that even during the full-scale war, after the city council made procurements for the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, law enforcement agencies opened new criminal cases.
At the same time, law enforcement agencies are currently not commenting on the acquittals being handed down by the courts.
Those found innocent will receive compensation
The mayor added that further acquittals are expected after the first seven not-guilty rulings. He said that the people who were found innocent will receive compensation from the state. At the same time, in his view, the key issue remains accountability for those who initiated these cases.
So the question remains open as to who will be held responsible for the years-long pressure, court proceedings, and reputational losses suffered by Dnipro city council officials and employees.
In October 2024, Dnipro Mayor Borys Filatov said there was a campaign to destroy local self-government.
