Case description
On April 19, 2022, the HACC convicted Olena Horbatenko, a former judge, and Kostiantyn Pyvovarov, a former prosecutor, of receiving a USD 6,000 bribe for a suspended sentence for those accused of drug trafficking.
In late July 2015, lawyer Serhii Chornobai appealed to Kostiantyn Pyvovarov, who was then acting prosecutor of Sievierodonetsk, to impose a more lenient sentence on two of his clients accused of drug trafficking.
Pyvovarov concluded an agreement with Horbatenko, a former judge, and received USD 5,000 from the lawyer, which the prosecutor and the judge then split between them. Chornobay was supposed to receive USD 1,000 more after the suspended sentence came into force.
Later, law enforcement officers also discovered that Pyvovarov was illegally storing a grenade in his safe.
The actions of the accused were classified under Article 368, part 3, and Pyvovarov's actions were classified under Article 369-2, part 3; Article 263, part 1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (illegal handling of weapons, ammunition, or explosives). Based on the plea agreements, the HACC panel of judges exempted Pyvovarov and Horbatenko from the main sentence of 5 years in prison with a 3-year probationary period. They were also deprived of the right to hold certain positions for three (Pyvovarov) and one (Horbatenko) years.
Chornobay was initially sentenced to a UAH 25,500 fine, but later, after several hearings, including on the statements of Pyvovarov and Horbatenko, he was exempted from punishment due to the expiration of the statute of limitations.
Olena Horbatenko was featured in an investigation by the Nashi Groshi program. The journalists claimed that shortly before her exposure, she and her husband had purchased an 85-square-meter apartment in Spain, understating its value in their declaration by only EUR 10,000.
