The High Qualification Commission of Judges (HQCJ) has ruled that Pavlo Horbasenko, the head of Kyiv’s Economic Court, meets the requirements of his position. This decision comes despite previous findings by the Public Integrity Council (PIC) that deemed Horbasenko unethical due to discrepancies between his assets and income, as well as multiple divorces that may have been used to transfer property. The commission reviewed Horbasenko’s suitability for the fourth time, reaching a decision in just 10 minutes.
The HQCJ held a brief session without questioning Horbasenko, quickly confirming his suitability for the position, according to Slidstvo.Info.
For more than a year, Pavlo Horbasenko, the head of the Kyiv Oblast Economic Court, could not confirm his suitability for the position. The High Qualification Commission of Judges postponed his evaluation four times.
“On November 18, the HQCJ plenary session announced its decision… after considering the suitability of Judge Pavlo Horbasenko of the Kyiv Economic Court, the commission decided, with 10 votes in favor and 4 against, that the judge meets the requirements of his position,” said HQCJ Chairman Andriy Pasichnyk.
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While the evaluation was ongoing, Horbasenko attempted to resign. The Public Integrity Council’s report noted that Horbasenko’s father, Volodymyr Horbasenko, conducts business in occupied Crimea and continues to reside in the Russian-controlled territory, managing several enterprises. Horbasenko’s wife issued a power of attorney to her father-in-law to manage her property in Crimea.
“During an interview with the HQCJ collegium, the judge claimed that he does not communicate with his father. However, this information is likely false… Given the significant amount of real estate owned by H.V. Svyrydenko (Horbasenko’s wife) in Crimea, which someone had to manage directly on the territory of Crimea, it indicates that the judge must have maintained contact with his father, who likely handled his and his wife’s property matters in Crimea,” PIC’s report stated.
Pavlo Horbasenko has faced multiple accusations of illicit enrichment. According to the Public Integrity Council, he owns two apartments measuring 116 and 136 square meters, allegedly gifted by his mother. His mother also owns a house exceeding 800 square meters.
Additionally, Horbasenko has been divorced multiple times from Kyiv City Council member Hanna Svyrydenko. After their first divorce, he continued to travel abroad with his ex-wife and registered property in her name. Their second divorce occurred in 2023, just before the opening of the declaration registry and Horbasenko’s qualification assessment.
During her marriage to Horbasenko from 2012 to 2014, Svyrydenko acquired a house measuring 122 square meters, two apartments measuring 164 and 155 square meters, two parking spaces, and two land plots. In temporarily occupied Crimea, she owns four non-residential premises, several land plots, and a house exceeding 300 square meters.
“In the declarations for 2015-2018, the judge did not indicate family members. According to the judge’s file, the judge divorced his wife H. Svyrydenko on December 24, 2014. In February 2017, the judge and H.V. Svyrydenko had a daughter, who was also not mentioned in the declarations for 2017-2018. Moreover, even after the second divorce from H.V. Svyrydenko in 2022, they had a second daughter… Thus, the judge unjustifiably did not declare the property and income of his de facto wife H.V. Svyrydenko in 2015-2021,” the PIC report stated.
According to information from the DEJURE Foundation, Horbasenko engaged in questionable transactions with securities: “…The judge bought them well below market value and immediately sold them to the bank for 10 times more. It is unclear where he got $23,000 to buy these securities. The judge used these excess profits to justify the origin of funds for the purchase of an apartment in Kyiv worth $370,000. Another part of the funds was provided by the judge’s father, who, according to the judge, earned $600,000 from such dubious bond transactions.”
A Slidstvo.Info journalist contacted Pavlo Horbasenko, but he declined to comment on his assets and relationship with Hanna Svyrydenko, stating, “Not over the phone. Send a written request.” The journalists sent a request to Horbasenko’s email.
