Political activist Serhiy Sternenko who tries to clean up his reputation after alleged abduction of Odesa local council member in 2015 claimed another victory in his case on Thrusday after Supreme court reverses lower court verdict that found him guilty of ‘unlawful handling of weapons, ammunition or explosives’.
The charge was dropped as the court argeed a bullet found in Sternenko’s apartment is too much to call it a felony.
In his statement on Facebook, Sternenko wrote, ‘Step by step we are destroying the fabricated allegations. Starting today, I have no criminal record as the charge of unlawful possession of a firearm under art.262 has been dropped. The Appellate court earlier scrapped robbery charge. There is petty art.146 (abduction) standing’.
The hearing was marked by wrangling over its live broadcast as the judge initially said no to it.
Sternenko said he was going to file an appeal on his abduction charge with European Court of Human Rights and thanked his lawyers for ‘titanic’ work noting they are people ‘who can move the mountains’.
The hearing was marked by wrangling over its live broadcast between Sternenko’s lawyers and the judge who initially was opposed to the idea.
Here is what you must know about Serhiy Sternenko trial
On February 23, 2021, Odesa’s Prymorskyi District Court found Ukrainian public activist Serhiy Sternenko guilty on the charges of pro-Russian activist Serhiy Sherbych abduction in 2015. The case expiration made the prosecutors bring Sternenko to court on charges of robbery claiming that he and his alleged accomplice Ruslan Demchuk had robbed Sherbych of 300 hryvnas in cash. The activist was taken in custody and appealed on his case.
The ruling faced intense public backlash culminating in the Kyiv rally that left the president’s office spray-painted with graffiti calling on justice for Sternenko and other activists. The appellate court agreed to put Sternenko and Demchuk under house arrest.
In May, 2021, in another hearing the Odesa Appellate court upheld a ruling over ‘unlawful handling of ammunition’, sentencing his to a one-year probation.