Judge Viktor Hlyniany Loses His Robe

Viktor Hlyniany has been officially stripped of his position as a judge of the Kyiv Court of Appeal. The grounds for dismissal were the findings of the investigation, according to which he was a participant in a corruption scheme involving the receipt of a bribe for the lifting of a seizure on property in the high-profile case of former "Motor Sich" head Vyacheslav Bohuslaviev.

$35,000 — the price of an appeal

According to the investigators' version, the key intermediary in the transfer of funds was the already dismissed judge Vyacheslav Dziubin. It was he who received a bribe of 35,000 US dollars from interested parties in exchange for a favourable ruling — the lifting of the seizure on two aircraft featured in the Bohuslaviev case.

Dziubin kept $10,000 for himself. He distributed the remaining $25,000 among three judges of the Kyiv Court of Appeal: Yuriy Slyva, Ihor Palenyk, and Viktor Hlyniany.

Criminal creativity: money in a coffee packet and a provider's brochure

The methods of transferring cash, it turned out, were truly extravagant. Ihor Palenyk received his share from the intermediary in a whisky box. He packed part of this money into a coffee packet and then passed it on to Yuriy Slyva.

Hlyniany, according to the investigation, received his share in an advertising brochure from an internet provider — such "creativity" was allegedly intended to complicate the potential tracking of illegal operations.

The system in the crosshairs

The story of the "aircraft bribe" is the latest episode demonstrating the deep crisis in Ukraine's judicial system. One might think that representatives of the appellate level are the final instance where the law should prevail. However, in reality, it involves the passing of packets of dollars in coffee wrappers and provider booklets, with the participation of several judges at once.

While the investigation continues, the question remains open: will this be an isolated punishment, or the beginning of a systemic purge in the Ukrainian judicial corps?