In late October 2025, the British newspaper The Times published an article about concerns raised by Labour Party member of the British Parliament Maurice Glasman regarding the transparency of Ukraine’s law enforcement and judicial systems.
As an example, The Times referred to an investigation by Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities into former Verkhovna Rada MP (2015–2019) Oleksandr Hranovskyi, who at the time was residing in the United Kingdom. Ukrainian law enforcement authorities alleged that Hranovskyi and his associates had used an intermediary company to embezzle £1.6 million from the Odesa Portside Plant in 2015. Hranovskyi claimed that the evidence against him had been fabricated and insisted that he was completely innocent.
Former Director of Public Prosecutions for England and Wales, Lord Ken Macdonald, prepared a legal opinion for the British side regarding Hranovskyi’s case, in which he criticized certain Ukrainian courts for failing to meet standards of fair trial proceedings.
During the court proceedings in Hranovskyi’s case, new factual circumstances related to the alleged criminal offence were established. At the initiative of the prosecution, the legal qualification of the charges was changed. Instead of accusations under Part 3 of Article 27, Part 2 of Article 28, and Part 2 of Article 364 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, the charges were reclassified under Part 1 of Article 344 of the Criminal Code.
The court released Hranovskyi from criminal liability due to the expiration of the statutory limitation period and fully closed the criminal case.
The court ruled that five years had passed since the commission of the crime stipulated in Part 1 of Article 344 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. Taking into account the provisions of Article 49 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, Hranovskyi had acquired the right to exemption from criminal liability due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
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