A case has been opened against a judge from Odesa who did not return from a business trip abroad

The High Council of Justice has opened disciplinary proceedings against Roman Karavan, a judge of the Odesa District Administrative Court, who went on a business trip to Brussels and did not return to Ukraine.

This is stated in a decision by the Third Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice.

According to the complaint, Karavan requested permission to attend a forum for legal professionals in Brussels and assured that he would not require funds from the budget. The business trip took place from November 12 to 17, 2025.

The judge crossed the border on November 12, and on the evening of November 17, he sent a letter from abroad requesting his resignation and 45 days of unpaid leave. The court president refused the request and ordered him to return to work, but the judge did not show up. He left 474 pending cases on his docket.

Karavan himself explained that he is caring for his seriously ill father, who has been living in Prague since 2022. He also disagrees with the Supreme Court’s practice of recalculating payments to military personnel and pensioners.

In his view, the courts are usurping the roles of the government and parliament, and the state’s debt resulting from such decisions has already exceeded 85 billion hryvnias. The judge also said he fears pressure and persecution if he returns.

The chamber believes that the business trip may have been merely a pretext to leave the country. A medical report regarding his father’s illness was issued as far back as 2023, and he has other relatives in Prague. A judge remains on the job until officially dismissed, so a resignation letter does not grant the right to leave his position. Concerns about pressure were dismissed as mere speculation.

Now the High Council of Justice will investigate whether he abused this status and whether he undermined public trust in the court. The opening of the case does not mean that Karavan’s guilt has already been proven—these circumstances still need to be examined on their merits.

According tohis annual financialdisclosure statement, Karavan does not own any real estate. He lived in a rented apartment in Odesa.

A 2012 Fiat Linea registered in his name was purchased in June 2020 for 125,000 hryvnias.

Over the course of the year, Karavan received 1.07 million hryvnias in salary from the court. 

The judge has $14,000 in cash; his wife has $9,400 in her bank account, 5,000 euros, and 1,000 pounds in cash.

Ірина Глухова