15 March 2026
(Pavlo Kyrychenko. PHOTO: Alternative.org)
The High Council of Justice has decided to uphold the decision of its First Disciplinary Chamber to bring Pavlo Kyrychenko, a judge of the Ovidiopol District Court of Odesa Oblast, to disciplinary responsibility.
The HCJ made the decision at a meeting on March 12.
The High Council of Justice received numerous disciplinary complaints from Viacheslav Dayutov against the judge regarding his actions in administering justice in a criminal case of fraud. Viacheslav Dayutov was a victim in this case. The complainant requested that the judge be held accountable for unreasonable delay in the case and behavior that discredits the title of judge.
According to Viacheslav Dayutov, this case had been under Pavlo Kyrychenko's jurisdiction for two years, and had lasted over 5 years in total. As a result, the accused was found not guilty and acquitted.
In December 2025, the First Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice filed for the dismissal of Pavlo Kyrychenko, a judge of the Ovidiopol District Court of Odesa Oblast, who was accused of receiving a USD 6,000 bribe in 2018.
In January 2026, the Kyiv District Court of Odesa found Pavlo Kyrychenko, a judge of the Ovidiopol District Court of Odesa Oblast, guilty of fraud in this case and sentenced him to two years in prison. However, as stated in the court' s verdict, the judge was released from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
The judge was accused of having allegedly agreed with the victim in 2018 to resolve the issue and expedite the case in the Illichivsk City Court of Odesa Oblast for USD 6,000. Of this amount, 5 thousand were intended for the settlement of the case, and 1 thousand dollars were for him personally.
As a result, the victim handed over the money to the judge's mother, but law enforcement officers did not find evidence of the money transfer to the Illichivsk court. That is why the judge's actions were classified as fraud.
Кирило Бойко