The Second Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice has initiated a disciplinary investigation against Judge Yaroslav Vasylenko, who works at the Sixth Appellate Administrative Court. This action was taken in response to a complaint filed by the public organization “Avtomaydan” following the release of an investigation by “Schemes” (Radio Free Europe). The journalists discovered that the judge had visited occupied Crimea 25 times since the beginning of the annexation and owns property in Sevastopol, registered in his wife’s name, who holds Russian citizenship.
This is reported by Київ24
Circumstances of the Criminal and Disciplinary Proceedings
According to the complaint from “Avtomaydan,” based on the data found, Vasylenko has visited Crimea at least 25 times since 2014. They claim that he owns property in Sevastopol, registered in his wife’s name, who has Russian citizenship. Such actions by the judge, according to the documents, violate the provisions of the law of Ukraine “On the Judiciary and the Status of Judges” and may be indicative of disciplinary offenses, particularly tarnishing the title of a judge or undermining the authority of justice.
The decision of the High Council of Justice also notes that the State Border Guard Service confirmed Vasylenko’s repeated visits to occupied Crimea. In response to inquiries from the High Council of Justice, Judge Vasylenko did not provide answers, and the explanations he provided to NABU detectives were considered within the framework of the criminal proceedings. It was substantiated that from 2014 to 2021, the judge regularly visited Crimea, including over 200 days in 2021.
Property Assets and Real Estate of the Judge’s Family
Journalists established that the judge’s wife owns two apartments in Sevastopol in the “Akvamarin” residential complex with a sea view, with a total area of over 115 square meters. The property is registered in the Russian registry, and the registrar in Moscow issued the corresponding decision. The judge’s wife’s passport, obtained in 2015, confirms her Russian citizenship. Additionally, in the 2020 declarations, the judge did not indicate the property in Crimea, although it belongs to his wife.
Furthermore, the Vasylenko family owns property in Moscow, including an apartment on Lyotchika Babushkina Street. The owners of this property — the judge’s wife and daughter — registered it back in 2006, but they did not reflect this in their declarations. Journalists observed the judge during one of the court sessions, but he refused to answer questions regarding the property and trips to Crimea.
“During all this time, I have not met with any employees of the Russian Federation’s special services nor had any conversations”
As a result of the investigation, the High Council of Justice decided to open a disciplinary case against the judge for signs of violating ethics and conduct that undermine the authority of the judicial system. The ruling indicates that regular trips to occupied Crimea without valid reasons may indicate a disregard for violations of the rights of Ukrainian citizens and a failure to adhere to judicial ethics. Earlier, NABU closed the criminal case against Vasylenko due to the absence of an offense, explaining this by the military aggression of the Russian Federation and the impossibility of conducting a full investigation.
It was noted that the judge systematically visited Crimea since 2014, with the last visit in 2021, and had undeclared property in Russia. This violates legal norms and undermines trust in the country’s judicial system.