Not subject to appeal: the Court of Appeal has refused the Public Prosecutor’s Office’s request to proceed with a complaint regarding the suspension of the head of the Mykolaiv Sports Department
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- Alisa MelikadamianContributing Editor, Reporter
Iryna Bondarenko. Photo from open sourcesThe Mykolaiv Court of Appeal has declined to open proceedings on the prosecutor’s office’s appeal against the decision refusing to extend the suspension of Iryna Bondarenko, head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sport, from her post.
This is stated in a ruling dated 28 September, according to «NikVesti».
As a reminder, on 23 September, Judge Halyna Podzihun refused the prosecution’s request to extend the period of Bondarenko’s suspension from office. The prosecutor appealed against this decision and asked the Court of Appeal to overturn it and extend the official’s suspension for the duration of the pre-trial investigation.
However, the court did not open proceedings. In his ruling, Judge Dmytro Chervonenko argued that, in accordance with Article 309 of the Code of Criminal Procedure of Ukraine, rulings on suspension from office, on refusal to grant such suspension, and on the extension of suspension may be appealed. However, the Code of Criminal Procedure does not provide for the possibility of appealing against a ruling refusing to extend a suspension.
«Consequently, criminal procedure law does not provide for the possibility of appealing against a ruling by an investigating judge refusing to extend suspension from office. Consequently, in accordance with the provisions of Article 309 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, a ruling by an investigating judge refusing to extend suspension from office is not subject to appeal», the judge stated.
It should be noted that Halyna Podzihun, an investigating judge at the Central District Court of Mykolaiv, last extended Bondarenko’s suspension on 27 July. At that time, the court ruled that she could not hold office until 24 September.
The case of Iryna Bondarenko
On 29 April 2026, Iryna Bondarenko, head of the sports department at Mykolaiv City Council, was charged with embezzlement of public funds. The sum in question amounts to over half a million hryvnias. Prior to this, law enforcement officers carried out a search of her home and car.
However, this is not the first search linked to Iryna Bondarenko. Investigations at the building of the Department of Physical Culture and Sport of the Mykolaiv City Council came to light on 20 January. NikVesti's sources within the law enforcement agencies reported that searches took place at Iryna Bondarenko’s department and at two sports schools. According to our information, these are the «Peremoha» sports school, headed by Oleksandr Munch, and the «Specialised Children’s and Youth Sports School of the Olympic Reserve №6», where the former head of the sports department, Oleh Mashkin, works as deputy director and boxing coach.
A few days later, Iryna Bondarenko, head of the Department of Physical Culture and Sport at Mykolaiv City Council, commented on the searches that took place last week. She accused the media of spreading rumours, whilst at the same time confirming that the department had provided all the necessary documents requested by the law enforcement agencies.
On 23 January, the Central District Court ordered the seizure of property belonging to the Department of Physical Culture and Sport of the Mykolaiv City Council that had been seized during the searches.
At that time, the mayor, Oleksandr Sienkevych, did not suspend Iryna Bondarenko from her post. In a comment to NikVesti, the mayor later stated that the allegation that the Department of Physical Culture and Sport had organised the sale of exemptions from mobilisation for 5,000 dollars was untrue, and that he was awaiting the outcome of the investigation.
After the formal notice of suspicion was served, Mayor Oleksandr Sienkevych stated that Iryna Bondarenko would be suspended from her post for the duration of the investigation.
On 4 May, following a court ruling, she was suspended from her post as head of the department and remanded in custody until 26 June, with the possibility of bail.
Read also the report at NikVesti «The head of the sports department failed to explain to the court how her father-in-law, mother-in-law and nanny had been employed at a sports school in Mykolaiv»
