Alla Malomuzh, a judge from the Kyivskyi District Court in Odesa, failed to declare a luxury apartment rental in Dubai worth nearly 700,000 hryvnias ($19,082) in her official declaration, according to a Slidstvo.Info investigation.
Slidstvo.info journalists found information about the judge’s Dubai real estate in documents kept by the Dubai Land Department. These documents were reviewed by the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), the French newspaper Le Monde and Slidstvo.Info.
The investigation found that Malomuzh rented a 117-square-meter apartment in the 14-story Orin Building in the Al Barsha district of Dubai, just 15 minutes from Palm Jumeirah island. The apartment features a living room and two bedrooms.
The website of a Dubai real estate agency states that residents of this building can enjoy a private pool, tennis court, barbecue area, and round-the-clock security.
According to a rental agreement obtained by Slidstvo.Info from Le Monde, Malomuzh was required to pay 70,000 dirhams (approximately 696 500 hryvnias or $19,082) the rental period of October 2023.
Alla Malomuzh, a judge from the Kyivskyi District Court in Odesa
Despite the rental agreement being active during 2023, Malomuzh’s declaration for that year does not mention the Dubai property.
“This is a declaration of false information,” explained Oleksiy Boyko, a lawyer from the Anti-Corruption Action Center. “This property should have been clearly stated in the declaration if the rental was long-term. This is a general requirement, regardless of the location or type of property.”
In her 2023 declaration, Malomuzh reported an annual income of 725,353 hryvnias ($19,711) from her salary as a judge and 47,000 hryvnias ($1,277) in child support. The rental cost of the Dubai property would have amounted to almost her entire annual income.
Malomuzh’s declaration does not specify her husband’s place of employment but mentions that he has had $30,000 in savings over the past few years. By 2023, when the judge apparently started renting the Dubai property, her husband’s savings had decreased by $9,000. The declaration also notes the birth of the couple’s third child in 2023.
“The declaration shows a decrease in assets by $9,000 compared to 2023. However, we see a 130 square meter apartment that requires utility payments, a family of five: three children and two adults,” noted AntAC’s Oleksiy Boyko. “We all understand that there are daily living expenses. So, either there is additional income, or certain expenses and assets are not declared.”
During a conversation with a Slidstvo.Info journalist, Malomuzh denied renting an apartment in Dubai and advised the journalists to refer the obtained information to law enforcement agencies.
“I tell you, hand on heart, there has never been and probably never will be a judge like me. I have never taken a single bribe in my life,” Judge Malomuzh said over the phone. “I have only administered justice in accordance with the law. A judge like me should be recognized and put on a pedestal.”
Interestingly, a photograph posted on Malomuzh’s Facebook page in April appears to have been taken in Dubai, featuring the famous Dubai waterfront with the Continental Tower in the background.
Malomuzh also mentioned that she has not been in Ukraine for almost three years. However, her declarations for 2022-2023 list an apartment in Odesa as her place of residence, with no mention of renting property abroad.
Previously, journalists published findings about Ukrainian officials as part of the “Dubai Unlocked” project. The journalists obtained information on hundreds of thousands of real estate properties in Dubai, their owners, and tenants. This data was initially received by the Washington-based Center for Advanced Defense Studies (C4ADS), a nonprofit organization that investigates international crime and conflicts. The data was then shared with the Norwegian financial newspaper E24 and the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), which coordinated the global investigative project “Dubai Unlocked.”
