The High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) on July 27 began hearing the criminal proceedings on the merits regarding Lyudmyla Kropivna, a judge of the Northern Appellate Commercial Court. The judge is accused of illicit enrichment and intentionally false asset declaration stemming from the purchase of luxury real estate near Kyiv. The defendant entirely denies the allegations, labeling the case «targeted revenge» by businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago.
According to the investigation, in December 2021, Lyudmyla Kropivna acquired a 260 sq. m house and two land plots in the elite village of Kozyn. Under the official agreement, the property was purchased for UAH 8.2 million, a portion of which was structured as a loan, with the remainder deferred.
However, NABU detectives and SAPO prosecutors discovered that the same estate had been listed on classified boards for $1–1.5 million. Immediately following the transaction, the seller verified $891,000 in cash at a local bank branch. A forensic appraisal estimated the actual market value of the property—complete with landscaping and a swimming pool—at UAH 19.3 million, whereas the judge’s legal income at that time could not have exceeded UAH 7.6 million.
Lyudmyla Kropivna strictly rejects any wrongdoing. She maintains that the price reflected fair market value because the property suffered from structural flaws, including cracks in the floor and foundation issues. Her defense attorneys also emphasize that the charges rely on assumptions, as there is no proof that the judge personally handled or transferred the unrecorded cash.
«I have come to realize that a judge has no right to hear cases involving oligarchs. It is better to recuse oneself. Secondly, a judge is not allowed to have friends or any social circle. A judge must be a loner, living in an orange crate, and never engaging in transactions larger than trivial ones,» Kropivna stated during the hearing.
The judge asserts that the criminal case against her was orchestrated due to her judicial decisions. In 2021–2022, she chaired the judicial panel that stripped structures affiliated with oligarch Kostyantyn Zhevago of a 40% stake in the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant (Poltava GOK).
«I say with absolute certainty that this is deliberate persecution against me for a ruling made against Zhevago’s company. This is a ordered act of revenge,» the defendant stressed.
The case is being tried solely by HACC Judge Oksana Oliynyk. Kropivna plans to testify at the end of the process after the court examines written evidence and questions witnesses. Meanwhile, the High Council of Justice has already suspended her from judicial duties.
If convicted of illicit enrichment and false asset declaration, the judge faces between 5 and 10 years of imprisonment along with a ban on holding public office.