Borisov Fails to Appear in Odesa Court

The Primorsky District Court of Odessa is holding a hearing in the case of former Odessa military commissar Yevgeny Borisov for desertion. The accused was discharged from the hospital in the morning, but he did not appear in court. Prosecutors believe that a pretext can be used against him, a Suspilny correspondent reported from the courtroom.

On the morning of October 10, Borisov was discharged from the hospital for outpatient treatment. The prosecutors were informed about this by the medical institution where he had been staying for the last few days. However, he was not in the courtroom — nor were any of his lawyers. Only his state-appointed free defense attorney, Andriy Danylyuk, was present at the hearing.

The lawyer explained that Borisov was allegedly hospitalized in another medical facility, but could not specify which one.

The court clerk reported that Borisov was duly informed of the date and time of the hearing: an SMS message was sent to the number that Borisov himself had previously indicated as a contact number for calls. The defense argued that the accused did not consent to this method of notification.

During the break, the court secretary nevertheless contacted Borisov on his phone. The defendant confirmed that he knew about the meeting and had received an SMS, and also said that he was currently being registered at one of the private clinics in Odessa.

After that, the prosecutors stated that Borisov’s failure to appear was not a valid reason, since he knew about the trial and could have come in person. In their opinion, this could be grounds for using a coercive pretext. The defense added that Borisov wears an electronic bracelet, so his whereabouts can be tracked. The prosecutors explained that they did not have technical access to this information, because the bracelet was placed in the framework of another case.

Prosecutors have not yet filed an official motion for a continuance. The court has announced a recess so that the lawyers can clarify which hospital the defendant is in.

Yevgeny Borisov is a figure in the EBK database.

As a reminder, SBI officers detained the former employee in Kyiv on December 25. The bureau had information that after leaving the pre-trial detention center, he planned to hide from the investigation, in particular, to go abroad.

He was informed of the suspicion of committing new criminal offenses provided for in Part 3 of Article 27, Part 1 of Article 114-1 (organization of obstruction of the lawful activities of the Armed Forces of Ukraine during a special period), Part 3 of Article 27, Part 1 of Article 366 (organization of the preparation and issuance by an official of a knowingly false official document) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

We also wrote that the State Bureau of Investigation completed the investigation of another criminal case against the former head of the Odessa Regional Territorial Center for Recruitment and Social Support, Yevhen Borisov.