In Kyiv and the regions of the country, one of the high-ranking officials in the judicial system — a member of the Supreme Qualification Commission of Judges, Volodymyr Luhanskyi — was exposed and formally charged

Chas Pravdy - 18 April 2025 06:11

According to the Prosecutor’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), the suspect is accused of misappropriation of funds through abuse of official position and document forgery, which caused losses to the state budget exceeding half a million hryvnias. A source from "Ukrainian Pravda" reports that the formal notice of suspicion was delivered on April 17th under the instruction of the Deputy Prosecutor General — head of SAPO. The press release emphasizes that the suspect’s actions resulted in damages to the state amounting to over 500,000 hryvnias. Although the suspect’s name is not explicitly mentioned in the announcement, sources unanimously confirm that it concerns Volodymyr Luhanskyi, who was detained the same day and had searches conducted at his residence. According to investigation data, the suspect abused his official position over several years, from 2015 to 2025, manipulating official documents to obtain unlawful material benefits. It has been established that during his transfer to the Severodonetsk City Court of Luhansk region, Luhanskyi submitted a forged PhD diploma in law. Based on this document, he was illegally granted a salary supplement amounting to 15% of the judge’s official salary, as well as an increase in his lifetime pension after retirement. However, investigators determined that this diploma did not provide legal grounds for such an addition. As a result, from April 21, 2015, through April 1, 2025 — over ten years — the suspect, holding the status of a judge and later being retired, used forged documents to embezzle public funds allocated for judicial remuneration and lifelong civil maintenance. The prosecutor’s office reports that over 576,000 hryvnias were embezzled in connection with this case. It is known that the investigative authorities have currently qualified Luhanskyi’s actions under Part 4 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine — abuse of power or official authority, which carries a sentence of seven to ten years of imprisonment with or without confiscation of property. The proceedings are ongoing, and investigators are diligently working to clarify all circumstances of the case and bring those responsible to justice in accordance with current legislation. This case is yet another vivid example of corruption abuses within the judiciary system, and its investigation is an important element in the fight against corruption at the higher levels of the judicial authority. Against the background of numerous suspicions and arrests within courts, this case has garnered significant public attention, highlighting the need for strict control and increased transparency in personnel selection and administrative management of Ukraine’s judicial system.

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