A Lviv prosecutor, dismissed for a drunk driving incident, was unable to regain his position.

The Lviv District Administrative Court has denied the reinstatement of former prosecutor Maksym Kopynets. In 2023, the Mostyska District Court of Lviv region acquitted the prosecutor of charges related to a traffic accident while under the influence of alcohol in Zhydachiv, after which he was dismissed from law enforcement. This decision was highlighted by “Judicial Reporter”.

On September 5, 2017, prosecutor Maksym Kopynets from the Zhydachiv branch of the Stryi local prosecutor's office in the Lviv region was involved in a traffic accident. According to law enforcement, he was driving an Audi 100 while intoxicated, speeding, and hit a curb, causing the vehicle to overturn and come to a stop on a garbage bin. As a result of the accident, a female passenger in the Audi 100 sustained injuries.

In court, Maksym Kopynets did not admit his guilt. He stated that he was on vacation that day and was giving a friend a ride to her village. Upon returning to Zhydachiv, he heard a knocking sound in the car and thought he hadn't closed the trunk properly. Before entering Zhydachiv, he stopped on the road to check the trunk, after which he had a conflict with the passenger during which he drank some cognac, and his friend took the wheel and caused the accident. After the incident, Maksym Kopynets was in intensive care and could not remember the circumstances of the accident.

The female passenger of the Audi 100 testified in court that she and the accused were spending time together and consuming alcohol. According to her, that morning Maksym Kopynets bought more alcohol, drinking a bottle of beer and some cognac. She claims that he was the one driving. The passenger's husband also stated in court that the prosecutor's parents threatened him. Ultimately, Judge Yuriy Bilous closed the case due to insufficient evidence of the accused committing a criminal offense.

In 2018, the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors decided that Maksym Kopynets should be dismissed for violating prosecutorial ethics. The prosecutor appealed the decision of the Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors. This case was reviewed by the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, which concluded that the acquittal did not negate the circumstances of the accident and the behavior of the participants. Moreover, the verdict did not refute the fact that the prosecutor was intoxicated at the time of the accident and had been in the company of a married woman, consuming alcohol. The Qualification and Disciplinary Commission of Prosecutors classified his behavior as a gross violation of prosecutorial ethics by ignoring prohibitions on conduct that discredits him as a representative of the prosecution and could harm the authority of the prosecution.

Maksym Kopynets also challenged his dismissal in court. The case was heard by the Lviv District Administrative Court. He also demanded that the prosecution pay him his average salary and moral compensation. However, Judge Oksana Karpyak denied the claim in her ruling. This decision can be appealed.