Judge of Odesa Prymorskyi Court dismissed after NABU complaint

The High Council of Justice has decided to uphold the motion of the First Disciplinary Chamber to dismiss a judge from Odesa for a disciplinary violation. He is suspected of attempting to bribe a colleague and bribery.

The decision was made during a meeting of the HCJ, as reported by Law and Business.

The case concerns Ilya Lonsky, a judge of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa. He was dismissed on the basis of paragraph 3 of part 6 of Article 126 of the Constitution of Ukraine, which provides for the dismissal of a judge in case of a significant disciplinary offense.

Earlier, the First Disciplinary Chamber of the HCJ had already imposed a disciplinary sanction on the judge, namely, a motion for dismissal. The reason was a complaint from the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine. The NABU reported that the judge is a defendant in a criminal proceeding in which a pre-trial investigation is underway.

Law enforcers are charging Lonsky with a number of criminal offenses, including attempted crime, giving undue advantage, and fraud. The proceedings were opened under parts 3 of Article 15, 3 of Article 369 and 2 of Article 190 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

The judge has been suspended from administering justice for the duration of the investigation. He cannot perform his duties until the court's guilty verdict enters into force or the criminal proceedings are closed.

Judge of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa, Ilya Lonskyi, was temporarily suspended from his duties in December 2024.

Earlier, the High Anti-Corruption Court suspended consideration of the case of Ilya Lonsky, a judge of the Prymorskyi District Court of Odesa, who is suspected of bribery. The reason is his mobilization to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The judge was called up for service in May 2024, and the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that since July 7 he has been involved in combat missions and cannot participate in meetings even via video conference.

On August 4, 2023, the NABU and the SAPO notified Lonsky of suspicion of attempting to provide an undue benefit to another judge of the same court to make a favorable decision in the case. According to the investigation, the judge received money from a lawyer and tried to persuade his colleague, Anzhelika Ruseva, to make the desired decision. The lawyer, in turn, received $2,000 from his client for providing such services.

Анна Бальчінос