Court denies Metropolitan Theodosiy's request to merge criminal cases

Court proceedings against Metropolitan Theodosiy. Photo: Suspilne

On September 2, a court hearing took place in Cherkasy regarding the case of Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv. The bishop joined the hearing via video link, according to Suspilne.

The metropolitan's lawyers filed a motion to combine two criminal cases into one, as both are being considered in the same court. The defense argued that combining the cases would save procedural time.

Prosecutor Vadym Kolomiets objected, stating that merging the cases could complicate the proceedings: "We have different victims and witnesses. This could delay the case. In one case, more procedural actions have been carried out than in the other. We are already close to completing witness testimonies and will soon begin examining written evidence. Merging the cases would violate reasonable timeframes, as we have been considering this case for nearly a year and a half."

Once again, provocateurs with placards gathered outside the court. They told the media that Metropolitan Theodosiy avoids meeting them and therefore participates in the hearings via video link.

The court did not grant the defense's motion and did not combine the two cases into one. Now, each case will be considered separately.

However, as of now, Metropolitan Theodosiy faces five charges, two of which have already been consolidated into one case. The next hearing is scheduled for September 18.

As reported by the UOJ, Metropolitan Theodosiy criticized the bill to ban the UOC in an article for British media.

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