On April 2, 4vlada.com journalists attempted to attend a meeting of judges of the Rivne Oblast Commercial Court, where the head was being re-elected. The newly elected chairman of the Rivne Oblast Commercial Court, Vadym Torchenyuk, prevented the journalists from attending.
Vadim Torchenyuk
According to 4vlada.com, Vadym Torchenyuk, head of the Rivne Oblast Commercial Court, receives a monthly salary of over 12 hryvnias from taxpayers. However, ordinary citizens and journalists are unable to attend his election as head of the Commercial Court.
Journalists note that this event was announced, thus ensuring that the re-election of the head of the Commercial Court should be open to the public. When representatives of 4vlada.com attempted to enter the conference room, they were physically prevented by newly elected Chairman Vadim Torchinyuk. Initially, the journalists were criticized for the lack of a motion. Then, he stated that only judges could attend the meeting of judges. At the beginning of the meeting, Chairman Vadim Torchinyuk announced that the judges had decided to allow journalists to attend, conduct audio recordings, and take photographs, but prohibited video recording. He did not explain the law on which the judges based this decision.
The publication notes that the court's official website contains no request or demand for any motions. According to the Law of Ukraine "On the Judicial System and the Status of Judges" (regarding meetings of judges), there is no mention of any motion to attend the election of the head of the court. The Law of Ukraine "On Information" also does not provide for mandatory accreditation for journalists. The law states that: "Court staff members, retired judges, members of the public, and other persons may be invited to meetings of judges."
Vadim Torchinyuk, 41, is known to have headed the regional Commercial Court in 2014. He has served on the court since 2012. Prior to this, Mr. Torchinyuk owned his own business in Volyn. He managed and founded several enterprises, including the construction company "Lyubart," LLC "Komitent," and LLC "Lotex." He came to the Commercial Court from his position as head of the legal department of the Lutsk firm "Radosh," which is now defunct.
The RV publication published his declaration for 2013, according to which Vadym Torchynyuk earned 377,7 thousand UAH, of which his salary amounted to 162,8 thousand UAH. The court chairman owns three plots of land, a 139 sq. m. apartment, two garages – 20 and 22 sq. m. As well as “other real estate” – with an area of 226 sq. m and 165 sq. m. Mr. Torchynyuk owns five cars: a 2010 Mercedes Benz E350, a 2003 Volkswagen Passat, two BMW 650s – 2006 and 2011, and a 2007 Mercedes Benz 418. The judge has three car trailers and a 2010 Yamaha Grizly ATV. Vadim Torchinyuk has over 2,3 million hryvnias in his bank account. He also has another 160 hryvnias deposited into the company's authorized capital.
Vadym Torchynyuk's family—his wife, son, and two daughters—earned 179,600 hryvnias in 2013. This comes from interest and dividends. They also own six plots of land, one of which is 26 hectares, two of which are 900 square meters, two of which are 1200 square meters, one of which is 1000 square meters, and one plot of land less than 100 square meters. The family also owns a 119 square meter apartment and four cars: a 2006 and 2010 BMW X5, a 2006 Mercedes Benz S500, and a 2011 Mercedes Benz G350 SUV. Torchynyuk's wife and children have almost 2,5 million hryvnias in banks.
Subscribe to our channels in Telegram, Facebook, Twitter, VC — Only new faces from the section CRYPT!