The Verkhovna Rada refused to authorize the arrest of Judge Dudchenko in the bribery case
On July 28, the High Council of Justice did not grant permission to take Vitaliy Dudchenko, the chairman of the Berestyn District Court in Kharkiv Oblast, into custody. The judge is suspected of accepting a $2,000 bribe to influence the assignment of a court case; however, the High Council of Justice did not approve the motion for his arrest.
The High Council of Justice considered a submission by First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovichenko requesting approval to place Vitaliy Dudchenko, a judge of the Berestyn District Court in Kharkiv Oblast, in custody.
As is known, Vitaliy Dudchenko was appointed by decree of the President of Ukraine on August 15, 2008, to the position of judge of the Krasnograd District Court of Kharkiv Oblast for a term of five years. By a decision of the assembly of judges of the Krasnograd District Court of Kharkiv Oblast dated August 7, 2024, he was elected to the administrative position of president of that court (later renamed the Berestyn District Court of Kharkiv Oblast).
In criminal proceedings, the First Deputy Prosecutor General drafted and signed a notice of suspicion against the judge for committing a criminal offense under Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine. On the same day, Vitalii Vitalii Dudchenko was notified of the suspicion.
According to the investigation, at an unspecified time, but no later than February 24, 2026, Vitaliy Dudchenko met Igor Tverdokhlib, who held the position of senior investigator in Unit No. 2 of the Investigative Division of the Berestyn District Police Department of the Main Directorate of the National Police in Kharkiv Oblast. On March 24, 2026, Vitaliy Dudchenko, while serving as a judge and president of the Berestyn District Court of Kharkiv Oblast, received an unlawful benefit in the amount of 2,000 U.S. dollars from Igor Tverdokhlib in his office (which, according to the official exchange rate of the National Bank of Ukraine as of March 24, amounted to 87,657.6 UAH). The funds were seized that same day by law enforcement officers during a search of a storage room in the judge’s office.
According to the prosecution, the judge received the bribe in exchange for creating conditions under which the automated assignment of the court case based on T. Perevarova seeking a determination of a fact of legal significance would be assigned to him without exception, as well as for hearing the case and rendering a favorable decision in the plaintiff’s favor.
Thus, Vitaliy Dudchenko is suspected of receiving, as a public official in a position of responsibility, an unlawful benefit for himself by performing actions in the interests of a third party using the authority and official position granted to him (Part 3 of Article 368 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The suspicion, as noted, is corroborated by the evidence gathered.
After analyzing the motion and following a lengthy discussion, the High Council of Justice decided to deny the motion to grant consent to the detention of Vitaliy Dudchenko, a judge of the Berestynsky District Court of Kharkiv Oblast. The basis for the refusal was that the motion filed by First Deputy Prosecutor General Maria Vdovichenko did not meet the requirements of Parts 1 and 3 of Article 184 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine. The decision was adopted unanimously.
Source: Judicial and Legal Gazette
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