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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
⚖️ Violations exist, no accountability: how Judge Mamchyn avoided a disciplinary case after searches of protest participants
The story of Petr Mamchyn, judge of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of the city of Chernivtsi, is a telling example of how even established violations of procedural law can fail to result in disciplinary responsibility.
📌 This concerns court decisions issued during the events of the Revolution of Dignity. In January 2014 Judge Mamchyn authorized searches of the homes of individuals whom law enforcement associated with mass protest actions in Chernivtsi.
28 On January 2014 Judge Mamchyn granted three law enforcement motions at once in cases No. 727/642/14-k, 727/644/14-k and 727/652/14-k. Law enforcement claimed that the respective persons could have been involved in the events near the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration on 24 January 2014.
What exactly were they allowed to search for in their homes? 🤷♂️ The list was extremely broad: mobile phones, computer equipment, campaign posters and symbols, documents regarding financing of mass events, information about other participants, plans for organization and role distribution, radio communication devices, handwritten notes, clothing and other items that could be relevant to the criminal proceedings.
Effectively, by a single judicial decision law enforcement obtained the ability to search protesters’ residences for a huge range of items and information. ⚠️ But later an inspection found procedural violations
After the Revolution of Dignity, Mamchyn’s actions came under the scrutiny of bodies created to review judges. The acting prosecutor of Chernivtsi region filed a request to conduct a special review of the judge. Among other things, the question was raised about the justification for the search warrants and other procedural decisions regarding participants in mass protest actions.
The decisions by Mamchyn ordering the searches did not contain the information required by paragraph 5 of part two of article 235 of the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine — about the person who owns the dwelling or other possession and the person who is in actual possession of it.
🤷♂️ In other words, the judge allowed interference with the constitutionally guaranteed right to inviolability of the home, although a subsequent inspection established procedural violations in issuing those rulings.
The judge himself insisted that he considered the motions objectively, impartially and without bias. Mamchyn explained that he reviewed operational video footage of the events near the Chernivtsi Regional State Administration and considered the searches necessary to ensure public safety and obtain evidence.
The High Council of Justice concluded that the violations he committed indicated signs of a disciplinary offense — a substantial breach of procedural law in the administration of justice. The disciplinary case was never opened because the statute of limitations for bringing the judge to responsibility had expired.
👨🏽⚖️ Investigative judge of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of the city of Chernivtsi Petr Mamchyn unreasonably denies satisfaction of complaints concerning the inaction of investigators or prosecutors in failing to enter information about criminal offenses into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations, in particular in case No. 727/10546/26 dated 29.07.2026 regarding the inaction of authorized persons of the Security Service of Ukraine in Chernivtsi region.
The mentioned circumstances, according to available information, concern the activities of a group of related persons that includes Mykhailo #Федоров, Denys #Шмигаль, Rustem #Умєров, the founder and ultimate beneficiary of LLC “#ВИРІЙ INDUSTRY” Oleksii #Бабенко and other persons involved in organizing a scheme around the activities of LLC “VYRIY INDUSTRY,” connected with the disruption of state contracts for the manufacture and supply of unmanned systems for Ukraine’s security and defense forces, and the use of controlled enterprises to carry out non-goods or partially non-goods transactions.
#свавіллясуддів
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