The Ukrainian judicial system has long been at the center of corruption scandals, where the key characters are the judges themselves, who, ironically, should be an example of law-abidingness. One of these stories is about Maryna Barsuk (Didychenko), a judge of the Northern Court of Appeal of Kyiv, who, according to the media, has been serving the interests of politicians and oligarchs for more than ten years.
At the service of the oligarchs
Known for her involvement in multimillion-dollar lawsuits, Barsuk has earned a reputation as a judge whose rulings often miraculously align with the benefits of wealthy clients. For example, in 2009 alone, it passed 15 decisions in favor of Alfa Bank, an institution with Russian roots. And a few years later, in 2015, her name was mentioned in audio recordings, where People's Deputy Serhii Alekseev allegedly instructed her to transfer 5,000 dollars for a "service". The scandal quickly subsided, and Barsuk continued her "successful career".
In particular, Barsuk took part in cases involving the oligarch Igor Kolomoiskyi. In 2009, she contributed to canceling the debt of "Nikopol Ferroalloy Plant" to "Privatbank" for 35 million dollars. If sources are to be believed, the standard "fee" for such decisions is 5% of the amount of the claim, i.e. $1.75 million.
Another case concerned "Ukrnafta", where the court decided to pay the company almost 2 million hryvnias from the state budget. Although the reward for the judge in this case was much smaller, there were dozens of such cases in her practice.
Life is luxurious
According to the declaration, Barsuk officially receives about 170 thousand hryvnias per month. However, the real style of her life indicates other sources of income: a luxurious wedding with performances by Tina Karol and Olga Polyakova, expensive trips, premium cars and luxury real estate. Her youngest son lives in Great Britain, where he is studying at a college with an annual cost of 27 thousand pounds.
Even in 2009, with a salary of 4 thousand hryvnias, the judge already owned an apartment worth 400 thousand dollars.
When it comes to the declarations of Ukrainian officials, even the most discerning reader may be surprised. The real treasure among these documents is the declaration of Maryna Barsuk, judge of the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal. Million-dollar real estate, luxury cars and fantastic gifts exceed her official income hundreds of times.
Last year alone, Marina Barsuk declared 12 real estate objects: from garages to private houses and land plots. It is noteworthy that most of them are issued to members of her family: husband, mother-in-law, mother and even son.
In particular, in 2023, at the height of the war, the judge bought a private house with an area of 222 m² for 9 million hryvnias, as well as a plot of land worth almost 11 million hryvnias.
Interestingly, the declaration mentions an apartment in Great Britain, which was supposedly purchased back in 1970. That is, in Soviet times, when even traveling abroad was problematic. How Ms. Barsuk's family managed to buy housing in Britain is a mystery. And the right of ownership of this real estate is currently held by the judge's eldest son, Timur Pryvalov.
Judging by the declaration, Maryna Barsuk and her family are fans of the Mercedes-Benz . Her fleet is impressive:
- MERCEDES-BENZ S580 2021 — 7 million hryvnias.
- MERCEDES-BENZ G63 AMG 2019 — 6.6 million hryvnias.
- MERCEDES-BENZ S600 2009 — 2.5 million hryvnias.
- MERCEDES-BENZ EQV 2021 — 2.2 million hryvnias.
The total value of this fleet exceeds 18 million hryvnias. Interestingly, all the vehicles are registered to members of the judge's family.
A "gift" worth 20 million
Special attention is drawn to the item on the declaration of gifts. In 2023, the judge's husband received a monetary gift of 20 million hryvnias from his father, Mykola Barsuk. However, the donor's pension is only 80 thousand hryvnias per year. If official information is to be believed, it would have taken him 250 years to collect such an amount.
Marina Barsuk's generous husband did not remain in debt: in the same year, he gave the same 20 million hryvnias to his wife. Such a "circular economy" looks like a simple money laundering scheme.
The declaration also indicates that the Badger family has significant savings:
- The man keeps 600,000 dollars, 500,000 euros, 350,000 Swiss francs and 2 million hryvnias in cash.
- The judge herself has much less cash savings: 44 thousand dollars and 455 thousand hryvnias.
However, modest amounts are kept in the family's bank accounts. For example, Maryna Barsuk's father-in-law has only 39 hryvnias in her account.
The Badger story is just one of many examples of how judges serve the interests of elites. The lack of reaction of law enforcement officers to the discrepancy between income and lifestyle only confirms the scale of corruption.
How long will this "theatre of justice" last and what can become a catalyst for change? The question remains open, but the answer to it is the business of every Ukrainian who dreams of living in a state governed by the rule of law.
