The Verkhovna Rada dismissed without consideration a complaint regarding Ivanna Ivanyuk, a judge of the Zaliznychny District Court of Lviv and the wife of the controversial Volodymyr Marmash
The First Disciplinary Chamber of the High Council of Justice (HCJ) decided to dismiss and return to the complainant the disciplinary complaint against Ivanna Ivanyuk, a judge of the Zaliznychny District Court of Lviv.
This decision was made as part of a generalized procedure under which dozens of complaints against various judges were returned without a detailed analysis of the merits.
As a reminder, in its complaint, UA.NEWS provided specific findings from a journalistic investigation indicating that Judge Ivanna Ivanyuk conducted so-called “phantom” court hearings without the actual participation of the parties; the possible inclusion of false information in court decisions; the systematic concealment of assets by registering them in the names of relatives; and the existence of unreported financial transactions.
The essence of the allegations set forth in the complaint
The media agency’s disciplinary complaint noted that Judge Ivanyuk’s actions exhibit signs of violations as provided for in subparagraph “c” of paragraph 1 and paragraph 10 of Part 1 of Article 106 of the Law of Ukraine “On the Judicial System and the Status of Judges.”
In particular, the appeal to the High Council of Justice highlighted the following facts:
- Conducting court hearings without the actual participation of the parties to the proceedings (“phantom hearings”);
- Possible inclusion of false information in procedural documents;
- Systematic concealment of assets by registering ownership in the names of close relatives;
- The existence of financial transactions that were not reflected in official declarations.
UA.NEWS notes that this approach to the review is merely formal, as grouping the complaints into a single “package” made it impossible to individually assess the circumstances cited, which are of public interest.
Family Ties and Declaration Issues
Judge Ivanna Ivanyuk is the wife of Vladimir Marmash, an investigating judge at the Lychakiv District Court in Lviv. The activities of both judges have repeatedly been the subject of journalistic investigations due to the apparent discrepancy between the family’s official income and their actual financial status.
Journalists note that in her 2024 financial disclosure statements, Ivanna Ivanyuk failed to report a number of assets and sources of income:
- Failure to declare income: an amount of 16,314.51 UAH, received into card accounts at JSC “Universal Bank” (or “PrivatBank”) between September 24 and December 31, 2024, from legal entities, including MEEST INTERNATIONAL SP. Z O.O. and LLC “OTK ‘Europlus’.”
- Real estate in use: a parking space with an area of 18.5 square meters in the city of Lviv, which is officially registered in the judge’s mother’s name but is actually used by the family. At the same time, utility bills for this property were paid directly by Volodymyr Marmash using his personal bank card.
Despite the evidence and payment documents provided by investigators, the disciplinary body found no grounds to open proceedings. According to experts, this practice of the High Council of Justice adopting “bundled” decisions sets a precedent for circumventing detailed scrutiny of judicial integrity.
