The High Council of Justice (HCJ) has upheld the First Disciplinary Chamber’s decision to hold Judge Oleh Ivinskyi of the Podilsk District Court of Odesa Oblast strictly accountable. Following an appeal review, the judge now faces final removal from office for systematically disregarding Ukrainian law and manipulating court documentation.
The extensive disciplinary proceedings were initiated following two official complaints—one filed by the Patrol Police Department in March 2024 and another by citizen T. V. Chyzhyk in June 2025.
A thorough investigation revealed that throughout 2024 and 2025, Judge Ivinskyi systematically handled administrative offense cases under Part 1 of Article 130 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses (CUaAO), which covers driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Despite the statute mandating an unavoidable penalty—a fine of 17,000 UAH and a mandatory one-year driver’s license suspension—the judge routinely applied Article 22 of the CUaAO. He systematically exempted intoxicated drivers from actual liability, limiting sanctions to a mere «oral warning.» He justified these decisions by citing the «minor nature» of the offenses, an absence of grave consequences, and the context of martial law in the country.
From the official HCJ conclusion: «Judge Ivinskyi’s actions constitute a serious disciplinary offense of a systematic, intentional, and discrediting nature. They tarnish the stature of a judge, undermine the authority of justice, and unequivocally demonstrate his unsuitability for the bench.»
In addition to disregarding mandatory penalties for drunk driving, the investigation uncovered even more severe abuses involving official documentation. Multiple pairs of conflicting decisions were discovered in the State Register of Court Decisions for the exact same administrative cases.
While the factual backgrounds of the paired documents were identical, their reasoning and final orders directly contradicted each other:
The Penalizing Version: Found the offender guilty, imposed the full statutory fine, and revoked driving privileges, noting that the driver failed to appear in court.
The Lenient Version: Dismissed the proceedings entirely due to «insignificance,» stating that the offender attended the hearing in person, «fully admitted guilt, and sincerely repented.»
Judge Ivinskyi made no attempt to rectify these conflicts nor did he contact the state enterprise «Informational Judicial Systems» to remove the erroneous or duplicated decisions from the public domain.
After reviewing the judge’s appeal, the High Council of Justice left the original disciplinary sanction intact. Judge Oleh Ivinskyi will now be formally recommended for dismissal from his position at the Podilsk District Court of Odesa Oblast.