The former judge of the District Administrative Court of Kyiv has been convicted of a corruption offense, once again highlighting the scale of the integrity issues within Ukraine’s judicial system
The High Anti-Corruption Court, the leading body in the fight against corruption, issued an official verdict against former judge Olena Vlasenkova, who was found guilty of accepting unlawful benefits and sentenced to imprisonment for over five years. According to information provided by the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO), the verdict was announced on June 11, 2025. The panel of judges of the HAC upheld the guilty verdict within a criminal proceeding concerning facts of the judge receiving unlawful money exceeding the legally established threshold as part of a corrupt scheme. This judge was exposed in 2018 during law enforcement operations, when she was detained while accepting millions in bribes from a representative of commercial entities. Official data indicates that Vlasenkova received the illicit benefit from the deputy director of one of the business enterprises. In exchange for this "service," she committed to making procedural decisions in a case under her jurisdiction in favor of the defendant. As a result of the court proceedings, the HAC panel formally convicted the judge, taking into account Article 368, Part 3 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which prescribes responsibility for accepting large-scale unlawful benefits in connection with the performance of official duties. According to the verdict, Vlasenkova is now to serve a sentence of 5 years and 6 months in prison, with a three-year ban on holding positions in government bodies. Additionally, the court ordered the confiscation of all her personal property, which may include real estate, vehicles, bank accounts, and other movable assets. Thus, the court has decisively upheld the rule of law, demonstrating a principled stance in the fight against corruption within Ukraine’s judicial system. It is important to note that the decision will enter into legal force thirty days after its announcement, provided no appeal is filed. As reported by SAPO, an appeal against the verdict can only be made by submitting the relevant procedural documents to the appellate court. This case further underscores the need to strengthen anti-corruption policies and implement systemic measures to combat corruption at the highest levels of power. The responsibility of law enforcement agencies and courts to ensure the rule of law and restore public trust in the judiciary remains one of the primary objectives of ongoing reform processes in the country. Only transparency and an independent judiciary can establish the foundations for the development of a legal state in modern Ukraine.