Case description
On September 21, 2021, the HACC found Mykhailo Pak, Mukachevo ex-judge, and Oleh Makovskyi, Mukachevo Pension Fund official, guilty of receiving a bribe of UAH 2,000. They were sentenced to 7 and 6 years. The case is currently under reconsideration on appeal.
Oleh Makovskyi worked as the head of the legal department of the Pension Fund in Mukachevo. He was approached by a local, a member of the Union of Afghans of Zakarpattia, with a request to increase his benefits as a war veteran and disabled person. Makovskyi promised to help, but for a bribe and through influence on the judge. Mykhailo Pak, an ex-judge of the Mukachevo City District Court, agreed to make a “favorable” decision regarding the local's claim, took a UAH 2,000 bribe, and was detained immediately.
After his arrest, the ex-judge complained that he had been caught on such a meager bribe of UAH 2,000, and not “at least USD 2,000 dollars.”
Pak's actions were classified under Article 368, part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, and Makovskyi's actions were classified under the same article, but as an accomplice. The ex-judge was sentenced to 7 years in prison with confiscation of all property, a ban from holding the position of a judge for 3 years, and Makovskyi was sentenced to 6 years with confiscation of half of his property.
The appellate instance overturned the verdict and closed the case due to the expiration of the terms of pre-trial investigation, but the Supreme Court sent the case back for reconsideration in the appellate instance.
