Case description
On March 27, 2023, the HACC found Oleksandr Lysiuk, former head of the Baryshiv District Court, guilty of extortion for ruling in favor of clients of a lawyer he knew.
In September 2017, lawyer Maksym Sviatnenko filed two lawsuits on behalf of his clients with the Baryshiv District Court of the Kyiv region. The first one is about the recovery of UAH 1.3 million in debt, and the second one is about the recovery of UAH 11 million from Lubny Road Construction Management LLC. In the court corridor, he met Oleksandr Lysiuk, head of the court.
The judge asked him why he had come, and when he heard the answer, he explained that the lawsuits would be distributed to him because that day there was only one judge at work, and he was in the conference room. Lysiuk then said that to satisfy these lawsuits, 10-15% of the price would have to be paid.
After this conversation, the lawyer reported to the SSU that the judge intended to take a bribe. Lysiuk asked for a bribe three times. The first time was in the court corridor, then two weeks later, when he asked for USD 2,500-3,000 for the first case and UAH 500,000 for the second. At the end of September, Lysiuk confirmed the previous arrangements and said that he needed to provide USD 2,000 for a ruling to secure the second lawsuit and seize the property. On the day of the ruling, NABU officers detained Lysiuk. The money was hidden in a cesspool.
Lysiuk's actions were classified under Article 368, part 4 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. He was imprisoned for 8.5 years with confiscation of property and a ban on holding certain positions for 3 years.
