A Kyiv resident lost 223,718 hryvnias due to a fraudulent lawyer. Here’s the court's decision on the matter.

A woman sought assistance from a lawyer of another citizen. She was defrauded of 223,718 hryvnias, which she demands to be returned. This information is stated in the decision of the Desnyansky District Court of Kyiv, published on June 10, 2024.

In October 2018, a dispute arose between the woman and LLC "Tionit Group" regarding the rental of a non-residential premises, which was resolved in the Economic Court of Kyiv. Since she is not a legal expert, she sought legal assistance from the defendant's lawyer, who later turned out to be a fraudster. From October 2018 to July 2019, she transferred 223,718 hryvnias to her bank card. Regarding this, a report was filed with the police on January 9, 2020, concerning fraud.

Case Review

The court found that from October 2018 to July 2019, the woman transferred 223,718 hryvnias to another citizen's bank card, as confirmed by a certificate from JSC CB "PrivatBank". On January 9, 2020, she filed a report with the police regarding fraud and misappropriation of funds, which was registered in the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations on January 10, 2020. On May 20, 2022, a ruling was issued to close the criminal proceedings due to the absence of a criminal offense and it was recommended to seek redress in court. The mentioned ruling indicates that communication with the lawyer took place via messenger from 2018 to 2020, during which she was assured that the court's decision would be in her favor.

Subsequently, the lawyer continuously provided the woman with false information about bringing LLC "Tionit Group" to criminal liability, arrests, and other misleading data, while demanding various sums of money for the work performed. Additionally, he falsely informed her that when submitting applications and requests to various law enforcement agencies, a "state duty" was required to be paid into the accounts of the police and the prosecutor's office. Being legally unaware, she provided various amounts of money, totaling 420,000 hryvnias. Later, the Economic Court of Kyiv issued a ruling in favor of LLC "Tionit Group", and this decision was enforced, opening enforcement proceedings.

What did the court decide?

The court granted the woman's claim. The funds that were unjustly acquired from the citizen will be recovered in the amount of 223,718 hryvnias.

"The court believes that the funds in the total amount of 223,718 hryvnias should be recovered from the defendant to the benefit of the plaintiff, as they were unjustly acquired," emphasized the court.