Amelokhin next? Another DACK judge moves closer to dismissal
The High Council of Justice has recommended the dismissal of yet another associate of Pavlo Vovk — DACK judge Vitalii Amelokhin. The grounds were the “DACK tapes.” On the recordings, Vovk instructs Amelokhin, and the latter agrees, to draw up a plan of interrogations and investigative actions for an SBI investigator. The matter concerned a criminal case against members of the HQCJ. According to the investigation, Vovk was attempting to use the SBI to pressure HQCJ member Butenko and to bring the Commission under his control.
What else is Amelokhin known for?
- he sabotaged the qualification assessment in 2019, as did some 30 other DACK judges;
- he sat on the panel of judges that annulled the nationalisation of PrivatBank on a claim brought by Ihor Kolomoiskyi;
- he attempted to remove NABU Director Artem Sytnyk from office;
- he handed down high-profile rulings on construction development in Kyiv — in particular concerning Protasiv Yar and Hostynnyi Dvir;
- he privatised a government-provided apartment through an artificially manufactured court dispute.
The Third Disciplinary Chamber of the HCJ voted unanimously to hold Amelokhin liable to disciplinary responsibility. That decision, however, may still be appealed to the full composition of the HCJ. The Amelokhin case is therefore not yet closed. Nor are the cases of the other DACK judges — Ablov, Keleberda, Kachur and Pashchenko. They too have been recommended for dismissal, but the HCJ has long been delaying a final decision.
We call on the HCJ not to drag out these proceedings and to bring these high-profile cases to a close.
