Ivanyushchenko Case Against Leshchenko Dismissed

Controversial businessman Yuriy Ivanyushchenko has lost a libel case against Serhiy Leshchenko, MP of Poroshenko Bloc and a former journalist of Ukrayinska Pravda. Leshchenko reported this on August 22 on his Facebook profile and published a photo of the court ruling.

The businessman sued Leshchenko for calling him the ‘watcher’ of state enterprises in the times of Yanukovych.

"The partner of Yanukovych tried using the courts to silence me after my live appearance on Savik Shuster Studio on November 20, 2015, when I reminded that Ivanyushchenko was ‘the watcher’ of Yanukovych and was investigated for being involved in transporting titushki [ed: provocateurs to physically attack EuroMaidan] to Kyiv," — Leshchenko wrote.

"Ivanyushchenko’s lawyers tried to prove that the word ‘watcher’ is prison slang and as Ivanyushchenko was never imprisoned he cannot be ‘a watcher’. He also wasn’t presented with a subpoena in the Maidan case, so his lawyers concluded that he is also not related to this case," — commented Leshchenko.

Leshchenko noted that he already petitioned to dismiss judge Iryna Litvinova, who already adjudicated a number of cases involving Ivanyushchenko and ruled in his favor. Lytvynova refused to be dismissed from the case, yet at the same time she dismissed the claims of Ivanyushchenko," — informed the MP.

Ivanyushchenko has 10 days to appeal the decision.

Source: Ukrayinska Pravda