In Kharkiv, a verdict was announced in the case of concealing circumstances related to a fatal traffic accident involving a businessman’s cortege—Yaroslavskyi
On May 9, the Kiev District Court of Kharkiv issued a final ruling in a case concerning the concealment of the true causes of a tragedy that occurred on February 9, 2022, resulting in the death of a man during a road traffic accident. The incident involved a car crash that took place while a convoy of businessman Oleksandr Yaroslavskyi was moving. Investigations and court proceedings have been ongoing for over three years, but in late April 2023, the court delivered a verdict in this case. According to court records and information shared by "Suspilne," the decision was made amid investigation delays and the high complexity of the case. It is important to note that more than three years have passed since the accident, exceeding the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution in such cases. This effectively means that those accused of concealing the crime and the true circumstances of the tragedy have been exempted from criminal liability due to the expiration of legal deadlines. However, the court sentenced some participants of the incident. Specifically, the driver involved in the case was sentenced to three years of imprisonment but was released from serving the sentence under a one-year probation period. A similar verdict was issued for a second defendant, who attempted to take responsibility during the investigation. Both convicted individuals are required to pay over 275,000 hryvnias for expertise and other court costs. They have the right to appeal the decision within 30 days. As part of this high-profile case, two men were convicted: one of them—a native of Donetsk, Ukraine, with higher education, married—considered this incident among the most difficult periods of his life. He works as an administrator at "BaDM" company. The other defendant, born in the Kharkiv region and residing in Derhachi, has secondary specialized education, is unemployed officially, and is married. According to the "Judicial Authority" portal, the accused are named Andrii Ligus and Oleksandr Berezhnyy. It is known that the events unfolded in the evening. On the night of February 9-10, 2022, a vehicle belonging to Yaroslavskyi's convoy struck a man dead on the highway between Chuhuiv and Martove. Autotransportation of the businessman’s vehicle documents was found at the scene. According to law enforcement sources, the victim’s body was burned twice—first by the vehicle and later during transportation to the morgue. Subsequently, reports indicated that Oleksandr Yaroslavskyi, the businessman, claimed he was at his residence and sleeping at the time of the accident. Meanwhile, representatives of his DCH group denied that their employee was driving the vehicle during the incident, asserting instead that their driver was behind the wheel. However, later it was revealed that the driver who allegedly took responsibility was actually far from the scene, raising further questions about accountability and the true circumstances. As a result of this resonant case, the leadership of Ukraine’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, headed by Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, dismissed the chief of the Kharkiv police, Stanislav Perlin. This was a radical step amid investigations into procedural failures and possible falsifications or concealment of evidence related to the accident, which caused a major scandal within law enforcement circles. Furthermore, the clothing of the deceased man disappeared after the accident, adding more intrigue to the case. Only later, on February 16, this clothing was urgently located in the offices of the Chuhuiv morgue, raising suspicions of an attempt to hide important evidence. Reports also indicate that Yaroslavskyi flew out of Ukraine with his family to resort destinations on February 10, intending not to return before the end of the observation period—February 19. However, by July 2022, law enforcement sources claimed he had already returned to Ukraine and continued his business activities. Currently, court hearings are ongoing, and the final legal accountability of all involved parties is being established. Society continues to discuss issues of investigation transparency in this high-profile case, reflecting the complexities of seeking justice amidst influence from business and political circles.