The High Council of Justice has granted a “Maidan judge,” Cherednichenko, an honourable retirement

Today, the High Council of Justice has granted a “Maidan judge,” Cherednichenko, an honourable retirement. She is set to receive substantial annual payments for the following accomplishments:

• During the Revolution of Dignity, judge Cherednichenko sentenced the activist Dmytro Poltavets to house arrest. Dmytro was previously brutally beaten by police officers (Case No. 752/2379/14-K). As doctors later assessed, he had a concussion, a rib cage bruise and multiple haemorrhages. In an unconscious state, the activist was taken to the station, where he was notified of suspicion. During the session on February 14, 2014, judge Cherednichenko sentenced the activist to house arrest.
• The European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) subsequently condemned this decision, deeming it an arbitrary act that violated the Convention on the Protection of Human Rights (paragraphs 477 and 478).
• Furthermore, the judge considered a case where her own brother was a party and satisfied his claim. Thus, she made a decision in a blatant conflict of interest. She also received a negative opinion from the Public Integrity Council.
• Twice, she failed to appear for her qualification assessment, citing “illness” as the pretext, and promptly submitted a resignation application.

Despite our complaint about Judge Cherednichenko, based on the ECtHR decision that could have led to her dismissal, the HCJ overlooked it. This complaint had been forwarded to Tetiana Bondarenko, but she never initiated disciplinary proceedings. During a meeting, HCJ member Kandzyuba suggested halting the consideration of the issue due to the significant complaint against Judge Cherednichenko, but most body members did not support the proposal.

The position of the rapporteur, Oksana Kvasha, was very indicative. She stated that the month had passed since Cherednichenko applied for retirement, and no disciplinary case was opened during this time. Congratulations to Ms Kvasha on the wonderful start of her cadence in the HCJ. It is thanks to this position that judge Cherednichenko will receive in the near future roughly:

• 450.000 UAH of severance pack (one-time payment).
• 60.000 UAH of lifetime monthly payments.

All funded by the state budget. The HCJ members who voted in favor of these taxpayer expenditures include Salikhov, Kvasha, Burlakov, Plakhtiy, Melnyk, Kotelevets, Usyk, Bokova, Bondarenko, Kovbiy, Popikova, and Sasevych.