Strengthening requirements for transparency and ethics in the public sector in Ukraine is becoming increasingly important, especially when it comes to officials who influence the judicial system.
Recently, information about the purchase of real estate in the United States of America worth $310,000 by the wife of the chairman of the Kyiv District Court of Odesa, Serhiy Chvankin, has attracted public attention.
Translated into hryvnias, this is about 12 million. Journalists found that according to the Florida company register, on February 13, 2023, the wife of judge Nellie Golubeva opened the company OCEAN PROJECT 828 LLC in the United States. And already on March 10, she bought an apartment with an area of 105 square meters. m at 1000 Parkview Drive, 828 Hallandale Beach. These apartments are listed as the place of company registration.
The building where the apartment is located is located a few hundred meters from the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. According to the description, the apartment has gorgeous floor-to-ceiling coastal views, a heated pool, barbecue area, bike storage, state-of-the-art gym, tennis, 24-hour security. Nearby are beaches, a casino, a racetrack, the "Hollywood" embankment, marinas, shopping centers, restaurants, shops... In addition to the apartment, there is a parking space. The description states that the apartment is ready for rent.
In the declaration for 2022, the chairman of the Kyiv District Court indicated almost 10 million revenues. As of the end of 2022, the family has accumulated about UAH 16.4 million in cash, as well as deposits in hryvnias, dollars, and euros. It is noteworthy that the judge's declaration does not indicate either the costs of buying this property, or the fact of the appearance of credit obligations, in the event that Golubeva purchased it as a mortgage.
Journalists could not get a comment on the purchase of real estate, however, after the release of the publication through the press service of the court, Chvankin stated that the apartment was purchased by the company on a 30-year mortgage. He is not obliged by law to declare this fact, since the apartments are owned by the company.
