The Lychakiv District Court of Lviv has issued a verdict in the case of Lviv lawyer Marian Tsaplak, who was detained while transferring funds for "assistance" in the departure of a conscript abroad through the "Shlyakh" system. In the high-profile case, the court reclassified the charge of smuggling evaders to fraud and imposed a fine of 34,000 hryvnias.
According to the investigation, the lawyer promised to “register” the evader as a volunteer of a public organization for 4,500–5,000 USD, include his data in the “Shlyakh” system, and provide advice on crossing the border. However, as the investigation established, he did not have any access to the system and was not going to fulfill his promises.
On June 23, 2023, Tsaplak received the first tranche — 8,000 hryvnias. On July 26, while receiving the second part — $4,000 in counterfeit bills — he was detained by police officers.
In court, the lawyer admitted that he had indeed planned to seize the funds, but denied any intention to smuggle the evaders. He explained that he needed the money for his daughter's education in the United States, so he invented the scheme and told false stories to his clients.
Judge Roman Holovatyi agreed with the arguments of the parties and reclassified the charge as fraud (Part 1 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The court found Marian Tsaplak guilty and imposed a fine of UAH 34,000. His right to practice law is currently suspended. The verdict can be appealed.
