The Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACCP) has upheld the guilty verdict against Volodymyr Honchar, a former judge of the Kropyvnytskyi Court of Appeal. Honchar was found guilty of requesting and receiving a large-scale bribe. During the court session on September 18, the panel of judges fully rejected the defense’s appeals, leaving the lower court’s ruling in full effect.
Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) prosecutors and NABU detectives provided sufficient evidence of the former official’s guilt. Under the initial HACCP verdict rendered on January 12, 2026, Volodymyr Honchar was sentenced to 6 years and 6 months of imprisonment.
In addition to the prison term, the court imposed supplementary sanctions on the former judge:
A three-year ban on holding positions in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies;
Full forfeiture of all property legally owned by the convict.
Upon the announcement of the Appeals Chamber’s ruling, the sentence officially entered into legal force. Law enforcement officers took the convicted former judge into custody directly in the courtroom to transport him to a penal facility.
«Based on the results of the consideration of the defense’s appeal claims, the panel of judges left the High Anti-Corruption Court ruling of January 12, 2026 unchanged, and the defense’s appeals without satisfaction,» the HACCP press service reported.
The case against Volodymyr Honchar marks a notable step in ongoing efforts to combat corruption within the Ukrainian judicial system. Law enforcement agencies documented the solicitation and receipt of funds in exchange for securing a favorable procedural decision during a civil case review at the Kropyvnytskyi Court of Appeal.
Throughout the pre-trial investigation and trial stages, defense attorneys made multiple applications to soften the restrictive measures. Previously, the HACCP partially granted a defense motion by reducing Honchar’s bail amount from 1.01 million UAH to 700,000 UAH, allowing him to remain out of custody prior to the final ruling.
However, the reduction in bail did not alter the core evidence or the legal qualification of the offense. The Appeals Chamber’s ruling is final upon pronouncement, though the defense retains the right to lodge a cassation appeal with the Cassation Criminal Court within the Supreme Court.