The National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), together with the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAP) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), have uncovered a criminal network that organized the illegal departure of men of draft age abroad. The scheme involved judges, court administration employees, and lawyers who helped draft evaders avoid mobilization for a considerable amount of money.
The National Anti-Corruption Bureau reported this, but did not name the names of those involved.
Investigators found that illegal travel abroad was carried out by fictitious obtaining of single father status. The scheme operated in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi court of Odessa region, where for $3,500 fake court decisions were made without the real participation of the parties in the process. In total, more than 1,040 cases of this criminal scheme were recorded.
How the illegal exit scheme worked
Judges of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi Court of Odessa Oblast and their accomplices issued decisions confirming that the man was raising the child on his own. This gave him the right to leave Ukraine, as the law allows single parents who are conscripted to serve in the military to leave the country.
The fake decisions were made in a single court session without the participation of the parties, which greatly simplified the procedure. To avoid detection, the organizers of the scheme created a special "back office" in the premises of a law firm, where they processed documents and transferred money.
In addition, "issue resolution" services were openly advertised on social media, including TikTok and Telegram, which indicates the scale and audacity of the attackers' actions.
Who was part of the criminal group?
During the investigation, NABU and SAPO investigators established the involvement of eight people in the crime, including:
- Court Chairman Valentyn Zaveryukha;
- Former court chairman (now judge) Oleksandr Boyarsky;
- Judge Serhiy Savitsky;
- Deputy Chief of Staff of the Court Inna Taruta;
- Assistant judge;
- Court consultant;
- Lawyer;
- Lawyer's assistant.
In addition to them, suspicion was also declared against three more people - two assistant judges and an intermediary who passed bribes.
The High Council of Justice has already decided to temporarily suspend judges Zaveryukha, Boyarsky, and Savytsky from administering justice. They may soon be dismissed.
The investigation into this case lasted for over a year. The first fact of a bribe being given to Judge Boyarsky was recorded back in January 2024, after which in the summer and fall, NABU detectives received additional evidence of illegal activity.
The perpetrators face criminal liability for organizing a corruption scheme and forgery of documents, as well as deprivation of the right to hold public office.
