"Dumskaya" analyzes the financial situation of our judges. The organization "Rule of Law" kindly shared with us declarations of these servants of the goddess of justice.
Our story today is about the Primorsky District Court of Odesa. This court not only issues verdicts and rulings on criminal and civil cases for a quarter of a million Odesa residents, but also hears administrative claims against city authorities. It is well-known throughout the country, second only to the legendary Pechersky District Court of Kyiv in terms of mentions. In fact, it was the Primorsky District Court that, in 2005, essentially denied Odesa residents the right to elect their mayor, appointing him as the city's head. Eduard Gurvits.
Your editorial team reviewed the declarations of thirty judges of the Primorsky Court. These declarations contain information on the income of the judges themselves and their family members (spouses and children living together), which we analyzed separately, as well as their property, which we accounted for together.
Dumskaya is ready to provide clarifications and, if necessary, provide the right of reply to everyone mentioned in this publication.
INCOME
In 2013, 6,366,000 hryvnias were spent on salaries for the thirty judges of the Primorsky Court. The average judge's salary is approximately 17700 hryvnias per month. Including income tax, a judge's take-home pay is approximately 14,500 hryvnias.
Judges' other income last year totaled 1,2 million hryvnias. This includes financial assistance, insurance payments, interest, dividends, inheritances, and property sales. Of this amount, 440 hryvnias came from the sale of a 61,2-square-meter apartment by Judge Natalia Ilchenko, who purchased a 67-square-meter apartment for 553 hryvnias.
Family members of Primorsky Court judges earned 2,654,000 hryvnias in a single year. The highest earners were the relatives of Larisa Yershova, Vitaliy Ivchenko, Andriy Naumenko, and Oksana Suvorova, who collectively declared approximately two million hryvnias.
THE PROPERTY
As is well known, judges are provided with housing first and foremost. Generally speaking, judges of the Primorsky Court are provided with housing, although there are some who have neither a house nor a yard. For example, Anatoly Derus, Denis Dontsov, Vitaly Ivchenko, Andrey Naumenko, Oleksandr Lunyachenko, Igor Terzi, and Oleksandr Turetsky did not declare any real estate. As a reminder, declarations must include information about real estate not only owned but also leased. Therefore, it's unclear where these judges and their families lived last year. Theoretically, Dontsov, Ivchenko, Naumenko, Terzi, and Turetsky and their families could have been staying in their declared cars. However, it's impossible to determine from their declarations where Derus and Lunyachenko found shelter.
Judge Dmitry Osiik, the same judge who has been unable to acquit Odesa resident Vyacheslav Gratsiotov, is also homeless. However, he does have a plot of land of 8000 square meters. Theoretically, he could dig a dugout or pitch a tent there.
Unlike their colleagues in other courts, judges of the Primorsky Court are not particularly fond of detached houses. Among the 30 judges, only eight detached and summer houses are declared, but there are more than thirty apartments. As for land plots, the largest "latifundists" are Yuri Kushnirenko (one plot of 24700 square meters) and Sergei Pogrebnoy (five plots with a total area of almost 20000 square meters).
The location and intended purpose of land plots are not indicated in the declarations.
CAPITALS
Judges of the Primorsky Court aren't particularly fond of keeping their money in banks and are extremely rare business owners. Although many have quite substantial legal income and assets, a judge's significant bank deposit is the exception.
One such exception is the family of Judge Tatyana Kravchuk. The judge holds 200 hryvnias in banks, and her relatives also hold the same amount. According to her declaration, this deposit brought the judge an income of 2800 hryvnias (1,4% per annum), while her relatives earned 16440 hryvnias (8,22% per annum).
Analyzing the effectiveness of judges' capital investments reveals significant variations. For example, Larisa Chernyavskaya invested her savings at 10% per annum, while Judge Oleksandr Turetsky's 7357 hryvnias earned no interest at all. Poor fellow!
The largest "rentier" is Serhiy Pogrebny, whose account is worth almost one million hryvnias. The judge's deposit earned him 51,5 hryvnias in interest—just over 5% per annum. Apparently, judges prefer peace and stability, choosing reliable banks with low interest rates.
We also discovered from the declarations that at least one judge of the Primorsky Court, Vitaliy Ivchenko, is repaying a loan. In 2013, he spent 55 hryvnias on this. Apparently, this loan was used to purchase a car, because, as we've already noted, Ivchenko owns no real estate.
CARS
Thirty judges of the Primorsky Court and their family members own 42 cars. Officially, Oleksandr Lunyachenko, Anatoly Derus, Lyudmila Domuschi, and Dmitry Osiik are considered "carless." According to their income declarations, they commute to work by trolleybuses and minibuses.
Contrary to popular belief, judges aren't particularly fond of Mercedes. The judges' family owns only two, both ML350 SUVs. The judges' declarations also include one BMW, one Infiniti, and three Lexuses, as well as two Lada 6-series models.
Primorsky District judges mostly drive utilitarian, mid-size foreign cars. They prefer European and Japanese brands, as well as SUVs, such as the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Volkswagen Touareg, and even the Jeep Cherokee.
The Primorsky Court's largest car owner is Vyacheslav Bondar, whose family owns five cars for every occasion, from a VW Golf to a Toyota Prado. The court's chairman, Serhiy Kichmarenko, is considered the court's most eccentric driver—he commutes to work in his own Volkswagen Multivan minibus. In addition to the largest car, Kichmarenko also has the largest garage, measuring over 153 square meters.
Besides him, only Larisa Chernyavskaya, Konstantin Tsilmak, Oksana Suvorova, and Roman Goncharov have garages or parking spaces.
CONCLUSION
Around the world, a judge is not only respected but also a well-off individual, whose service to society ensures an above-average standard of living. A judge's work is challenging, intellectually demanding, and sometimes dangerous, requiring years of training, legal and life experience, and continuous self-education. An honest and well-off judge is a role model for most citizens, and their financial standing and legally acquired wealth are a guarantee of honesty and integrity.
An analysis of the declarations of judges at the Primorsky District Court of Odesa shows that as recently as 2011, judges' salaries were around 5-6 hryvnias per month. This is incomparable to the earnings of a good lawyer or legal counsel at a large company, even though judicial work requires just as much, if not more, effort.
In other words, an honest judicial career was deprived of a crucial component—material incentive. Given the severe restrictions on holding more than one job, only hopeless romantics or cynical pragmatists could aspire to judicial work, hoping for additional income that wouldn't be reflected in their tax returns.
The increase in court fees has had a positive impact on judges' salaries. In 2013, they more than doubled, reaching 15 times the minimum. Coupled with a substantial benefits package, high social status, and a generous pension, a judicial career could well become attractive to those determined to judge fairly and live, as in the old Soviet adage, "on one salary."
It should be noted that, unlike in previous times, when all of the property of officials was registered to distant relatives, friends, and acquaintances, modern judges are relatively honest in declaring their assets—at least more honestly than prosecutors.
It's perfectly normal for a judge to own an apartment, a car, and a country house. More questions arise when a judge's declaration reveals him to be penniless—like Oleksandr Luniachenko, who has worked in the court since 2009 but owns no property, no car, and no bank account. However, in this particular case, there is an explanation: his father, Anatoliy Luniachenko, head of the Odesa Regional Court of Appeals, declared a 410-square-meter apartment. Imagine the size of that child's play area!
Interestingly, Odesa judges distrust the Ukrainian banking system and rarely save their savings in deposit accounts. For example, Larisa Yershova's family earned almost a million hryvnias in a year, but they have no bank accounts. Andriy Naumenko's family earned and paid taxes on seven hundred thousand hryvnias of annual income, while the judge has 1443 hryvnias in his bank account, while the other family members have 3701 hryvnias.
It's actually quite odd that most judges don't have bank accounts. It turns out they don't even have salary cards, preferring to receive their advances and salaries in cash, as usual, and keep their savings in piggy banks and under their mattresses.
Regarding public disclosure of judges' income, this is undoubtedly a positive step. Judges render decisions in the name of Ukraine, issue binding rulings, and determine the fates of other citizens. Judges hold this position voluntarily, but their extensive powers and high responsibilities impose certain restrictions. These include the obligation to live "under glass" and report to the public on their financial situation. As the saying goes, "Judge not, lest ye be judged."
Author - Nikolay Larin, infographics - Mark Elson, The Duma
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