The High Council of Justice (HCJ) has officially approved the resignation statement of Svitlana Smyk, a judge of the Pechersk District Court of Kyiv. The decision was finalized during the judicial governance body’s latest session. Despite a history of disciplinary proceedings and several highly controversial rulings, Smyk’s voluntary retirement was granted, preserving her entitlement to state-funded lifetime judicial benefits.
Throughout her tenure, Judge Svitlana Smyk repeatedly drew scrutiny from the HCJ’s disciplinary chambers. The council opened disciplinary cases against her on two separate occasions for systematically stalling the consideration of administrative cases. In one notable instance, a single case remained pending in her court for over six years.
Her first formal sanction involved the dismissal of more than 200 cases related to driving under the influence (DUI). As a penalty, the HCJ deprived her of judicial allowances for three months. During her second disciplinary review, however, two HCJ members effectively shielded her from accountability, resulting in the closure of the case without further punishment.
Beyond procedural delays, the Kyiv judge sparked significant public backlash with her rulings in high-profile financial cases. Most notably, Smyk lifted the asset freeze on 2.6 billion UAH belonging to the online casino Pin-Up.
According to law enforcement agencies and investigative journalists, this gambling entity maintains direct operational and financial ties to Russian businesses and capital.
By securing an official retirement rather than a dismissal for misconduct, the former Pechersk court judge retains her judicial status and remains eligible to receive lifetime state-funded monthly financial allowances.