The Supreme Court of Cassation convicted a Transcarpathian lawyer in the case of bribing a judge: he must transfer 170 thousand hryvnias to the Armed Forces of Ukraine

The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court has approved a plea agreement with a Transcarpathian lawyer, Oleksandr Esenov, who was accused of inciting the head of a district court to provide an illegal benefit. The man was sentenced to five years in prison, but was released from serving the sentence with a one-year probationary period. In addition, he pledged to transfer 170,000 hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

What decision did the anti-corruption court make?

The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court has approved a plea agreement concluded on July 31, 2026, between the prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and lawyer Oleksandr Esenov.

The defendant fully admitted his guilt within the limits of the charges.

The court found him guilty of committing a criminal offense under Part 2 of Article 15, Part 4 of Article 27 and Part 3 of Article 369 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

This is an attempt to incite an official to provide an unlawful benefit.

The lawyer was sentenced to five years of imprisonment without confiscation of property. At the same time, he was released from serving his sentence on probation, setting a probationary period of one year.

170 thousand hryvnias to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine

One of the conditions of the agreement was the defendant’s obligation to transfer 170 thousand hryvnias for the needs of the Ukrainian army.

The funds are to be transferred to a special account of the National Bank of Ukraine opened to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine within the framework of the UNITED24 initiative.

Thus, financial assistance to the Ukrainian military is part of the agreements approved by the court.

What obligations must a lawyer fulfill

During the one-year probationary period, the convict must fulfill the obligations determined by the court.

In particular, he must:

Periodically appear for registration with the authorized body for probation.

Report a change of residence.

Inform the relevant body about a change of place of work or study.

Compliance with these requirements is mandatory during the probationary period established by the court.

What was the Transcarpathian lawyer accused of

According to the investigation, Oleksandr Esenov incited a citizen to provide an illegal benefit to the head of the Perechyn district court of the Transcarpathian region.

The transfer of funds was repeatedly postponed. According to the case materials, the money was transferred on December 20, 2024.

In December of the same year, the lawyer left Ukraine.

In May 2025, he was put on the wanted list, as law enforcement believed that he was evading the investigation.

On June 3, 2025, the Supreme Court of Criminal Procedure made a decision to take the lawyer into custody in absentia, and on June 11, he was detained.

During the investigative actions, the man was hospitalized.

Later, the court changed the preventive measure to a personal obligation.

Will the lawyer serve his sentence in prison

Despite the imposition of a five-year prison term, the court released the lawyer from actually serving his sentence with probation.

This means that within one year he must fulfill the duties established by the court and not commit a new criminal offense.