Case description
The HACC found Iryna Chervynska, a clerk of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City District Court, guilty of bribing a judge in exchange for two favorable court rulings.
According to the investigation, in the summer of 2024, Chervynska provided a judge with two civil cases concerning the determination of a child’s place of residence with the father. She explicitly stated her personal interest in these cases and requested favorable rulings.
Later, she handed over a bribe of USD 2,000 through a friend and the judge’s driver. The handover took place in a café and was done discreetly — the money was hidden inside a book titled Comments on the Traffic Rules of Ukraine.
While on vacation in Slovenia, Chervynska again called the judge, persistently asking for rulings in favor of the plaintiff. She stated clearly that she had “paid for the cases” back on June 12, emphasizing that these were “her cases.” In July, the judge issued favorable rulings in the cases retroactively.
Chervynska pleaded guilty. She testified within the framework of the broader criminal proceedings concerning an organized group operating within the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City District Court of the Odesa Region from 2022 to 2024. According to the investigation, this group, comprising over 12 people, was systematically involved in the illegal transfer of child custody and residence rights.
The case also involves former chairman of Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City District Court Valentyn Zaveriukha and judge of the same court Serhii Savytskyi, who are suspected of participating in the scheme.
The HACC approved Chervynska’s plea agreement and found her guilty under Article 369(3) of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. She was sentenced to 4 years of imprisonment with a 1-year probationary period, without property confiscation. During her probation period, Chervynska is required to regularly report to the probation authority at her place of residence and promptly notify it of any change of residence, job, or education.
The USD 2,000 bribe, as material evidence, will be confiscated in favor of the state.
