In response to a request from Slidstvo.Info journalists, the Pension Fund reported that Ukraine spent almost 10 billion hryvnias ($237 million) on judges’ «pensions» during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Slidstvo.Info reports.
The Pension Fund told Slidstvo.info journalists that Ukraine spent 4.4 billion hryvnias ($118.8 million) on the retirement benefits of judges in 2023, and 1.1 billion hryvnias ($27.5 million) from January to April 2024. Prior to this, the Pension Fund reported that in 2022, 4.1 billion hryvnias ($127.3 million) was spent on the retirement benefits of judges.
During Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, retired judges received 9.6 billion ($237 million) from the Ukrainian budget.
Ukraine has hundreds of judges who are now in honorable retirement. For a judge, retirement is an important part of their career—it is its logical conclusion, accompanied by lifetime financial support from the state. The amount of this allowance depends on the judge’s salary (payments from 50 to 90% depending on the length of service). Therefore, for some judges, these payments can reach hundreds of thousands of hryvnias per month.
Slidstvo.info has repeatedly reported on questionable judges who have resigned. For instance, the journalists have covered judges who were involved in drunk driving accidents, banned Maidan protests, assaulted colleagues, and could not account for their expensive properties.
Of course, not all resigning judges are dishonest, but there is a tendency for dubious ones to try to escape to an honorable «retirement», for example, to avoid dismissal due to failure to pass a qualification assessment.
The High Council of Justice told Slidstvo.info journalists that between July 2023 and July 2024, 239 judges resigned, 130 of whom worked in Kyiv.
