A judge's assistant from Odesa was convicted for attempting to leave the country using a forged passport

An assistant judge at the Khadzhibey District Court in Odesa was caught attempting to leave Ukraine using a forged Moldovan ID card. The court found him guilty but did not impose a prison sentence.

This is stated in the verdict of the Bolhrad District Court of Odesa Oblast.

According to the case file, in late November 2022, the defendant—who was subject to military conscription at the time—provided an unidentified individual with a digital copy of his photograph to produce a Moldovan ID card and paid for its production.

As a result, a forged document was produced in another person’s name but bearing the convicted man’s photograph. He attempted to use it nearly two years later—on September 21, 2024. At approximately 11:10 a.m., he arrived at the“Vynogradivka” international border crossing on the border with Moldova and presented the forged card to border guards.

During the inspection, a border guard noticed signs of forgery and called in a specialist. An examination confirmed that the document did not conform to genuine Moldovan passports.

In particular, the card was found to contain imitation optically variable ink, lacked embossed laser engraving and microtext, and exhibited other signs of having been produced using an inkjet printer and makeshift equipment.

In court , the man pleaded guilty only to the charge of using a forged document. At the same time, he denied having assisted in its production and refused to testify. The court did not agree with this position and found it refuted by the evidence in the case, specifically a photograph of the defendant on the forged document.

Separately, the court noted that a partial admission of guilt cannot be considered sincere remorse if the person conceals material circumstances of the offense committed. The judge’s assistant was found guilty under Part 5 of Article 27, Part 1 of Article 358, and Part 4 of Article 358 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine—for aiding and abetting the production of a forged document and its use.

The court sentenced him to one year and six months of probation. At the same time, the convicted person must periodically check in with the probation office, report any change of residence or employment, and not leave Ukraine without the probation office’s approval. In addition, he was ordered to pay 6,367 hryvnias to cover the costs of the forensic examination of the forged document.

Ірина Глухова