Court finds guilty one of the DGF executives who ignored a lawyer's request

The Kyiv Court of Appeal found the Deputy Managing Director of the Deposit Guarantee Fund guilty of unlawfully refusing to provide information at the request of a lawyer. The official tried to «pay back» through the QDCB, but in vain.

The decision in the case of administrative offense No. 761/28460/24 was published in the Unified State Register of Court Decisions.

Lawyer Maksym Bakharev, who represented the victim in the criminal proceedings, filed a lawyer's request to the DGF to request information and documents necessary to provide legal assistance to the client. However, in response, he received a refusal signed by the deputy head of the state institution, who claimed that the requested information was classified information.

Pursuant to the Law «On the Bar and Practice of Law», a public authority, local self-government body, their officials and employees, heads of enterprises, institutions, organizations, and public associations to which an attorney's request has been sent are obliged to provide the attorney with relevant information and copies of documents, except for information with restricted access and copies of documents containing information with restricted access, no later than five business days from the date of receipt of the request.

At the same time, unlawful refusal to provide information, untimely or incomplete provision of information, provision of information that does not correspond to reality in response to a lawyer's request is an administrative offense, liability for which (a fine of 25 to 50 tax-free minimum incomes) is provided for in Part 5 of Article 212-3 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses.

The lawyer appealed to the Bar Council of Donetsk Oblast. An authorized member of the Council drew up a report on administrative offenses against the Deputy Managing Director of the Fund and sent it to the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv.

The court of first instance closed the proceedings, citing the absence of an administrative offense. This decision was justified by the fact that the refusal could not be considered unlawful. However, the Kyiv Court of Appeal, where the chairman of the UNBA Committee on Prevention of Administrative Offenses Committed Against Lawyers, Sergiy Osyka, filed a complaint together with the lawyer, disagreed with such conclusions. They noted that the fact that the requested information was classified as restricted information (as stated in the response letter) was not supported by evidence. Therefore, the appeal overturned the decision of the court of first instance, finding the DGF representative guilty of a violation.

As it became known, in response, the official filed a complaint with the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of the Bar of Donetsk Oblast, accusing the lawyer of incompetence and low moral and ethical qualities. However, the bar self-government body refused to initiate a disciplinary case. The QDCB considered such a complaint as a means of putting pressure on the advocate in connection with his practice of law, since the issue of disciplinary liability was initiated without sufficient grounds.

Several protocols have already been drawn up and sent to the court for violating the right to information, including on the grounds of repetition. «Lawyers have enough legal tools to protect their professional rights. And they work if they are used correctly, - said the chairman of the UNBA Committee. - It is important to defend your rights even when you face resistance or pressure from officials. Obstruction of the professional activity of a lawyer is not only illegal, but can also be punished, even when attempts to influence take the form of complaints or other manipulations. The example of Maxim Bakharev's full realization of his rights and achievement of the required result demonstrates this in the best way possible».