Court Reinstates Controversial Railways Chief, the Government to Appeal It

On July 8, Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv reinstated Oleksii Krivopishyn, ex-Chief of Southwestern Railways [Ukr.: Південно-Західна залізниця] whom the Government dismissed in Spring 2015, journalist Alina Stryzhak reported on her Facebook page.

The court requested the Railways Administration to pay over ₴400 thousand ($16 thousand) to him, she added. According to the journalist, the representatives of the Government, Infrastructure Ministry and Southwestern Railways were so poorly prepared for the court hearings that the judge shattered their arguments. Meanwhile, Krivopishyn’s attorney was well-prepared.

Stryzhak added that both sides and the judge tried to remove journalists from the courtroom, even though media professionals have the right to visit open hearings.

"In fact, everything was clear from the very onset. The decision was made even before the hearing started. That’s why it lasted 7.5 hours – they hoped that our camera crew would leave," Stryzhak stressed.

Later on, Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelian posted on his Facebook page that the Ministry will appeal this decision. "The court ignored all the facts provided by the Government and decided on its own. I’ll definitely appeal this decision," he claimed.

In March 2015, journalists disclosed that Southwestern Railways had constructed tennis courts for free for the daughter of Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Kozak. After that, the Government dismissed Krivopishyn, and he started litigation on this matter.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda