Judges of the liquidated KDAC received 157 million hryvnias for two years without work

Judge Vovk received a gift basket with millions, while judges of the liquidated capital court earned 157 million UAH in just over two years, according to the accounting data of KDAC.

The story of the scandalously known Kyiv District Administrative Court (KDAC), which was liquidated at the end of 2022, has not ended. "Glavcom" has obtained the accounting reports of this court, recording payments to fifty judges of this institution for 2023, 2024, and two months of 2025. The paradox is that KDAC was liquidated by a decision of the Verkhovna Rada, and it automatically stopped handling court cases. In other words, the judges should have ceased performing their duties, but this did not affect their incomes in any way. The publication "Glavcom" tells a story about doing nothing and earning 3-4 million.

A Brief History of KDAC’s Fall

On December 13, 2022, the Verkhovna Rada adopted a law in full on the liquidation of the Kyiv District Administrative Court and the creation of the Kyiv City District Administrative Court. The initiator of the bill was President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

In 2019-2020, the public learned from the so-called "NABU tapes" what was happening in the office of the court’s head, Pavlo Vovk: it was recorded how certain members of the judiciary were preparing to seize control over the High Qualification Commission of Judges and the High Council of Justice. According to the investigation, several KDAC judges "made decisions upon request in their own interest, as well as in the interest of political elites and business circles."

Just months before the large-scale war, KDAC got involved in a highly suspicious story by taking a lawsuit from the fugitive president Viktor Yanukovych. He was contesting Verkhovna Rada decisions dated 2014-2015! Specifically, the ex-president asked to declare the Rada’s resolution on his self-removal from performing constitutional powers and the appointment of early presidential elections unlawful and annul it.

The district administrative court delayed considering Yanukovych’s two lawsuits until the end of April 2022. There is a version that KDAC judges were deliberately "dragging" the Yanukovych cases, waiting for developments on the front.

Group of KDAC judges led by Pavlo Vovk (center in glasses) at a court hearing in a case of attempting to seize state power and obstructing the work of the High Qualification Commission of Judges

Photo: Anti-Corruption Action Center

It is worth starting with the fact that the High Council of Justice (HCJ) took almost four years to resolve the staffing dilemma: to fire the head of the liquidated Kyiv District Administrative Court (KDAC), the scandalous judge Pavlo Vovk for "misconduct" or to send him into an honorable retirement with all payments? Eventually, the first option was chosen - on March 18, 2025, Judge Vovk was dismissed for committing a substantial disciplinary offense. However, the inglorious end of a judicial career also comes with pleasant bonuses. Primarily, financial ones.

Let’s start with the analysis of payments to the notorious Pavlo Vovk. In the past two years, he received 3.52 million UAH for being listed at a non-working court! Of this, 225.8 thousand UAH were an additional payment for a scientific degree, 157.6 thousand UAH as health support, and 150.5 thousand UAH as an additional payment for an administrative position (head of the court). A pleasant bonus – 109.4 thousand UAH was an additional payment for "secrecy."

In 2023-2024 and for January-February 2025, former judge Pavlo Vovk received 3.52 million UAH, being on the staff of a non-working court

Vovk’s colleague, who was sent into retirement by the VRP "for committing a substantial disciplinary offense," Alyona Mazur, can also be congratulated. See here: during 2023 and until the end of February 2025, the former judge received 3.44 million UAH! In the same liquidated KDAC, former judge Mazur, for example, "improved her health" (officially termed "health support for judges") at 263.4 thousand UAH.

Former KDAC judge Alyona Mazur received 3.44 million UAH over two years, not administering justice

Former judge Tetyana Sheyko (dismissed in February 2025 as a result of a qualification assessment of judges and declared not to meet the position) "earned" 3.79 million UAH at the liquidated KDAC.

Former KDAC judge Tetyana Sheyko, officially deemed professionally incompetent, earned 3.79 million UAH in the last two years

The real record holder in terms of income among the non-working KDAC judges turned out to be Ruslan Arsiriy. By the end of February 2025, the sum of judicial remuneration paid to him totaled 4.66 million UAH! Notably, Judge Arsiriy has not yet been officially dismissed.

In the last two years, Judge Ruslan Arsiriy of the liquidated KDAC received 4.66 million UAH

At "Glavcom’s" request, the State Judicial Administration calculated the maintenance costs for judges of the Kyiv District Administrative Court for 2023-2024 and January-February 2025. The figures are truly astonishing given that the country is at war, the state receives external support, and 157 million UAH were spent on a non-working court and its judges over a few years!

The total sum of 157 million UAH does not include expenses for the court’s apparatus, which consists of 24 employees.

Official data: judges of the liquidated KDAC "consumed" 157 million UAH in two years and two months

A "Glavcom" source in the High Council of Justice reported that disciplinary proceedings are currently open against KDAC judges Pavlo Hryhorovych, Vitaliy Amelyokhin, Volodymyr Keleberda, Maryna Boyaryntseva, and Ihor Pohribnichenko.

"I think within two months, proceedings will be opened against other judges. There is also a high probability of dismissal decisions. This will take another three to four months," the publication’s interlocutor noted.

Author: Vitaliy Taranenko