Court closes Metropolitan Yevlogy's case in Sumy

Metropolitan Yevlogy in court. Photo: Suspilne Sumy

A preparatory hearing took place at the Zarechny District Court in Sumy regarding the case of Metropolitan Yevlogy of Sumy and Akhtyrka, who was suspected of "inciting interreligious strife", reports Suspilne Sumy.

During the hearing, the prosecution requested requalification of the charges, while the defense prepared a motion to close the case.

The suspicion against the bishop stemmed from his statements during a sermon regarding "non-recognition by the Polish and Albanian Churches of apostolic succession in the OCU". The complainant, Yuriy Kondratenko, stated that the pre-trial investigation authorities classified the offense under Part 3 of Article 161. However, in his opinion, the video of the sermon, available on Facebook and the diocese's website, could not have been created and posted by Metropolitan Yevlogy alone, indicating collaboration with others. Therefore, Kondratenko proposed reclassifying the suspicion under a more "serious" article.

The defense lawyer and the prosecutor considered that the complainants' positions were insufficient to return the case for further investigation.

In turn, the UOC hierarch's lawyer requested the case to be closed since neither the defense nor Metropolitan Yevlogy was informed about the completion of the pre-trial investigation within the legal timeframe – two months from the date of the suspicion notification. The delay amounted to 6 days.

After reviewing the case materials, the court decided to reject the complainant's motion for requalification and to satisfy the defense's motion to close the criminal proceedings. The ruling can still be appealed in the appellate court.

As reported by the UOJ, on February 20, 2024, law enforcement officials served a notice of suspicion to Metropolitan Yevlogy of Sumy for "inciting interreligious strife", allegedly committed by expressing non-recognition of the OCU by certain Local Churches.

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