Former Kharkiv judge sentenced to eight years over $4,000 bribe

A court in Kharkiv handed down a verdict against Iryna Hryshchenko, former deputy head of the Dzerzhynskyi District Court. The woman was found guilty of receiving a bribe and sentenced to eight years in prison.

Circumstances of the case

The incident occurred in May 2020. At that time, the judge was caught receiving a bribe of 4,000 US dollars. In exchange for this money, she was to issue a ruling ordering the return of funds exceeding 30,000 dollars to the accused, which had been seized during the pre-trial investigation.

Court decision

The local court qualified Hryshchenko's actions under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. She received an eight-year prison sentence. Additionally, the court deprived her of the right to hold positions in judicial and law enforcement agencies for three years. The judge is also subject to the confiscation of all her assets.

The preventive measure for the convicted woman has been changed: instead of bail, she will be held in custody until the verdict enters into legal force. The verdict will become effective 30 days after its pronouncement, provided that the parties do not file an appeal.