Devices resembling hidden cameras were discovered in the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi court

The High Council of Justice reviewed a report from Yulia Volkova, the chair of the Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi City and District Court in Odesa Oblast, regarding possible illegal surveillance on the court’s premises. Devices resembling hidden cameras and eavesdropping equipment were discovered in the court’s ceiling.

The High Council of Justice deemed the discovered equipment to be a potential interference in the court’s activities and a violation of the guarantees of judicial independence. In light of this, the Council decided to request that the Office of the Prosecutor General investigate the circumstances.

The devices were discovered during a routine light fixture replacement

On September 30, 2026, while replacing a light fixture in the hallway, the court’s facilities manager noticed unknown electrical devices on the surface of a suspended ceiling panel that visually resembled video and audio surveillance equipment.

The discovery was unusual not only because of the equipment’s location. The devices were connected to the court’s electrical system, but an inspection revealed that they were not officially registered with the institution.

The employee reported the discovered equipment to Court President Yulia Volkova, who filed a complaint with the High Council of Justice alleging interference in the judges’ administration of justice.

In her view, the installation and use of such technical devices without proper legal justification violates the guarantees of judicial independence and immunity.

However, the report does not specify who exactly installed the devices, how long they had been in the premises, or whether they were actually recording conversations or conducting video surveillance.

The High Council of Justice appealed to the Office of the Prosecutor General

After reviewing Yulia Volkova’s report, the High Council of Justice concluded that the installation of equipment in a courtroom without proper legal justification constitutes interference in the court’s activities and a violation of the guarantees of judicial independence.

In this regard, the High Council of Justice decided to contact the Office of the Prosecutor General to request information regarding the investigation and prosecution of criminal offenses based on the facts set forth in the court president’s report.

This concerns criminal proceedings entered into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations under Part 1 of Article 376 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, which provides for liability for interference with the activities of judicial bodies.

Thus, routine maintenance work at the court led to the discovery of unknown equipment and raised the question of possible illegal surveillance of the court’s activities.

The investigation will determine who installed the devices, to whom they belonged, and for what purpose they were used.

This was reported by the Judicial and Legal Gazette.

As a reminder, the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU) and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO) caught the head of a district court in the Odesa region accepting a bribe.

The High Council of Justice declined to consider the motion to remove Oleksandr Boyarsky from his position as a judge.