Businessman Ihor Kolomoisky has filed a lawsuit against Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to declare illegal and cancel the decree revoking his citizenship. The Supreme Court has demanded an explanation as to why Kolomoisky filed the lawsuit so late, almost a year and a half after the decree was issued. This is stated in the December 1 ruling of the Supreme Court as part of the panel of judges of the Administrative Court of Cassation.


The corresponding appeal from Kolomoisky was submitted to the court on November 29. The registry does not specify the names of the defendants, but data from the Judiciary website indicate that this is Kolomoisky's lawsuit against Zelensky.


The lawsuit demands that Presidential Decree No. 502 of July 18, 2022, on the revocation of Kolomoisky's citizenship be declared illegal and canceled. However, the deadline for appealing to the administrative court has since expired, so the plaintiff must prove the validity of the reasons for missing it.


Kolomoisky explained that he learned about the deprivation of citizenship more than a year after the presidential decree - in September 2023, when he read a document on the change of the preventive measure in the criminal proceedings against him.


The panel of judges decided that such arguments were insufficient to justify the reasons for the late appeal to the court.


The judges noted that the decree on depriving Kolomoisky of citizenship received wide media coverage almost immediately after its adoption, so, in the court's opinion, the plaintiff could not have been unaware of such circumstances. Thus, the panel of judges believes that the deadline for filing a lawsuit was objectively missed.


Ultimately, the Supreme Court decided to leave Kolomoisky's claim without motion for the time being. The businessman was given 10 days to file an application to renew the deadline and prove the validity of the reasons for missing it.


If Kolomoisky fails to do so in time, the court will return the claim to the businessman.