How Did the Week Go at the High Council of Justice? March 10-14, 2025

The dismissal of the “coffee lovers” and the retention of a Maidan judge — another week filled with controversial decisions at the High Council of Justice (HCJ).

Positive Decisions:

• The HCJ upheld the decisions of its disciplinary chambers regarding the dismissal of:
  • Three judges of the Kyiv Court of Appeals: Ihor Palenyk, Viktor Hlynianyi, and Yurii Slyva. Previously, they, along with Viacheslav Dziubin, were caught receiving a $35,000 bribe hidden in coffee packages in exchange for a ruling to lift the seizure of a private company’s assets. Judge Dziubin had been dismissed earlier, meaning that now all four “coffee lovers” have lost their judicial status.
  • Eduard Bondarev, who is suspected of kidnapping his business partner for $17,000. According to law enforcement, the judge had been purchasing agricultural equipment and registering it under a front person, later attempting to force his “partner” to renounce ownership of the business and equipment.
• Maryna Boiaryntseva, a judge of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv (DACK), was unable to escape into honorary retirement. Like other DACK judges, she is known for obstructing qualification assessment, inconsistencies in asset declarations, and questionable rulings. The HCJ suspended consideration of her retirement request until a disciplinary complaint against her was reviewed. HCJ members Vitalii Salikhov and Serhii Burlakov opposed this suspension.

Unfortunately, There Were Also Negative Decisions:

• The HCJ refused to dismiss Olena Shumeiko from the Obolon District Court of Kyiv, despite a recommendation from the High Qualification Commission of Judges. Shumeiko had revoked the driver’s licenses of two protesters who drove to Yanukovych’s residence. Later, she failed to enter these decisions into the judicial register and did not disclose them in her integrity declaration. This decision reflects a troubling trend where the HCJ retains judges despite HQCJ recommendations for dismissal.
• Despite the acting head of the State Judicial Administration (SJA), Maksym Pampura, being listed as a witness in a criminal case against his predecessor, the HCJ not only extended his term but also awarded him the maximum possible bonus—30% of his salary. As a result, Pampura will have held the “temporary” position for a total of one and a half years. DEJURE Foundation urges the HCJ to stop pretending to conduct a competition for the head of the SJA, which has been stalled for a year. Instead, the competition should be conducted with clear deadlines, transparent rules, and procedures.

DEJURE Foundation welcomes the just punishments imposed by the HCJ on low-integrity judges. At the same time, some of the council’s decisions, particularly the refusal to dismiss Olena Shumeiko, are cause for concern.