Former Kharkiv judge sentenced to eight years in prison for taking a bribe
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court on 26 October sentenced a former deputy head of a district court in Kharkiv to eight years in prison. She was caught in 2020 accepting a $4,000 bribe.
Ukraine's High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) on 26 October convicted a former deputy chair of the Dzerzhynskyi District Court in Kharkiv of taking a bribe and sentenced her to eight years in prison. The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) announced the case but did not officially name the judge. According to Ukrainska Pravda, the person concerned is Iryna Hryshchenko.
What she was convicted of
The woman was caught in May 2020 accepting $4,000 in undue benefit. The payment was for a ruling returning to a defendant more than $30,000 that had been seized during the pre-trial investigation. The court found her guilty under Part 3 of Article 368 of Ukraine's Criminal Code, which covers an official accepting an undue benefit on a large scale.
Sentence and next steps
In addition to the eight years in prison, the court banned her for three years from holding positions in judicial and law enforcement bodies. It also ordered confiscation of all property she owns.
The court changed her preventive measure from bail to detention until the verdict takes legal effect, and she was taken into custody in the courtroom.
The verdict takes legal effect 30 days after it was announced, unless it is appealed.
