The Anti-Corruption Court has resumed proceedings in the case of a judge from Odesa

The High Anti-Corruption Court has resumed hearings in the criminal case against Ilya Lonsky, a judge of the Primorsky District Court of Odesa, who is charged with incitement to bribery and fraud.

The High Anti-Corruption Court made this decision on July 1, according to the publication “Slovo i Dilo.”

In January, the High Council of Justice ruled to uphold the First Disciplinary Chamber’s motion to dismiss the Odessa judge for a disciplinary violation. He is suspected of attempting to bribe a colleague and of accepting bribes.

The judge was dismissed for committing a serious disciplinary offense. Previously, the First Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice had already imposed a disciplinary sanction on the judge—it filed a motion for his dismissal. The basis for this was a complaint filed by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU). NABUreported that the judge is a suspect in a criminal case, in which a pretrial investigation is currently underway.

Law enforcement officials have chargedLonskywith a number of criminal offenses, including attempted crime, providing an unlawful benefit, and fraud. For the duration of the investigation, the judge has been suspended from administering justice. He cannot perform his duties until a court conviction becomes final or the criminal proceedings are closed.

Previously, the High Anti-Corruption Court suspended proceedings in the case of Ilya Lonsky, a judge of the Primorsky District Court of Odesa, who is suspected of bribery. The reason was his mobilization into the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The judge was called up for service in May 2024, and the General Staffof the Armed Forces of Ukraineconfirmed that, as of July 7, he has been participating in combat operations and cannot attend court sessions, even via videoconference.

On August 4, 2023, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) notifiedLonskythat he was suspected of attempting to offer an unlawful benefit to another judge at the same court in exchange for a favorable ruling in a case. According to the investigation, the judge receivedmoneyfrom a lawyer and attempted to persuade his colleague, Anzhelika Ruseva, to issue the desired ruling. The lawyer, in turn, received $2,000 from his client for providing these services.

Кирило Бойко