On December 1, 2025, the HACC Appeals Chamber upheld the verdict against Oleksii Salnikov, former Head of the State Judicial Administration of Ukraine, leaving it unchanged.

Earlier, the HACC found Salnikov guilty of abuse of influence. 

The court reclassified his actions from incitement to give a bribe, and acquitted him of fraud. He was sentenced to three years of imprisonment. We previously covered this case in detail.

The defense filed an appeal, seeking Salnikov’s acquittal. They argued that there was no corpus delicti in his actions and claimed that the applicant, Oleksii Honchar, had provoked the offense, allegedly initiating all contacts.

The prosecutor did not file an appeal against the verdict but objected to the defense’s arguments, stating that no provocation had taken place. The prosecutor asked the court to dismiss the defense’s appeal and uphold the verdict.

According to the investigation, in March 2023, Salnikov received $7,500 from Oleksii Honchar. Of this, $5,000 was allegedly intended for Supreme Court judges to secure a favorable decision for a private company, and the remaining $2,500 was meant for Salnikov as a fee for mediation.