Odesa Judges Charged with $3,500 Bribes to Evade Mobilization

The High Council of Justice granted the motion of the Deputy Head of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office Oleksandr Klymenko and allowed to take into custody two judges of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Court in Odesa region.

This was reported by the press service of the HCJ.

These are Valentyn Zaveriukha and Serhiy Savytskyi, who are suspected of organizing a scheme that allowed men to avoid mobilization allegedly because of the need to care for a child. According to the investigation, it cost 3.5 thousand US dollars.

According to the Law and Business publication, according to preliminary estimates, Valentyn Zaveriukha made 124 such decisions, and Serhiy Savytskyi made 312. At the same time, in November 2024 and early January this year, the first disciplinary chamber of the HCJ already considered complaints of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine against these judges on the same grounds and imposed penalties in the form of a motion for dismissal.

It is also known that in December 2024, the High Council of Justice considered a petition filed by Valentyn Zaveriukha, a judge of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City District Court of Odesa Oblast. He asked to suspend the disciplinary case against him, citing his mobilization to the Armed Forces.

The complaint against the judge was filed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). The complaint alleged disciplinary violations during the consideration of several court cases. Despite mobilization, the disciplinary chamber decided that the judge's participation in the case was possible.

In January 2024, the SBU, together with the NABU, detained a judge of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Court of Odesa Oblast. According to the investigation, the judge took bribes of $3,500 for making decisions that allowed men of military age to avoid mobilization and go abroad.

The scheme was in place since April 2022. During this time, more than a thousand such decisions were issued. The court fictitiously determined the place of residence of the men's children, which allowed them to receive a deferral from mobilization. The scheme involved court employees, a lawyer, and intermediaries. The lawyer searched for clients and passed on bribes.

Кирило Бойко