On March 26 the High Council of Justice suspended from office Judge Ihor Maksymovych of the Kalanchak District Court of Kherson Oblast, who is currently working in Kirovohrad Oblast.
This was announced in the High Council of Justice’s official decision.
The suspension will last at least until May 11, 2026.
The judge is suspected of committing a crime under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (accepting an unlawful benefit by an official who holds a position of responsibility, performing actions in the interests of the person who provides the benefit, using official power, and prior collusion by a group of persons).
According to the investigation, in January 2026 a scheme was organized through an intermediary in which the judge allegedly agreed to close the case against a driver who had been stopped for drunk driving (Art. 130 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses) for 35,000 hryvnias.
In February the judge indeed closed the case “due to the absence of elements of an offense”.
During a search on March 4, 25,000 hryvnias were found at the judge’s home, which, according to the investigation, were part of the bribe.
For his part, the judge denied the accusations and any involvement in unlawful actions. Maksymovych did not explain how the money ended up in his residence.