The judge of the Higher Anti-Corruption Court, Kateryna Sikora, who is suspected by the NAZK of illegal enrichment, obtained through the court the payment of 505,000 hryvnias in compensation for salary restrictions during the quarantine. The decision has sparked outrage among the public and experts, who point to a dangerous precedent for the budget of a country at war.
The essence of the matter
Judge Sikora filed a lawsuit against the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine, saying that the decision to limit the salaries of civil servants and judges in 2020 during the pandemic was illegal. The court sided with her, ordering her to pay half a million hryvnias.
Political expert Oleh Posternak sharply criticized this decision. "Instead of directing these funds to the purchase of drones or the support of the Armed Forces, they will go into the pocket of a judge, whom the NAZK suspects of illegal enrichment," he said.
A dangerous precedent
Experts warn that the case with Judge Sikora may become a precedent for other officials and judges, who may now also demand compensation for "unearned" funds. This can result in multimillion-dollar costs for the budget of a country struggling to survive during a war.
"VAX, which was created to protect state funds, actually damages the budget of Ukraine by millions," Posternak stressed.
Other scandals at VAX
This is not the first scandal related to judges of the High Anti-Corruption Court. For example:
- Markiyan Galabala illegally obtained official housing and did not specify a number of information in the declaration.
- Vitaly Kryklyvy through his wife, who is also a VAX judge, was seen in housing scams.
Critics point to the increasing dependence of VAKS on NABU and SAP. According to Posternak, judge Sikora, like many other VAKS judges, receive privileges while working in the "NABU-SAP-VAKS" triangle.
"This system is increasingly becoming a source of losses for the state. Victims of the actions of the anti-corruption bloc turn to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and win cases against Ukraine, which leads to multimillion-dollar payments," Posternak added.
According to experts, last year alone, Ukraine paid out more than 2 million euros based on ECtHR decisions. These funds could have been directed to the defense sector, but instead are spent on compensation, in particular due to questionable decisions of the anti-corruption court.
