Serdyukova Inna Oleksandrivna

90 thousand dollars "loan" — and no explanation of source

Judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court Inna Serdyukova declared a loan amounting to 90 thousand dollars from an individual. According to journalists, the lender is associated with the circle of oligarch Zlochevsky — a figure in one of the most high-profile anti-corruption cases in Ukraine. Thus, a judge who considers high-level corruption cases is financially dependent on a circle of people with corrupt connections.

Anti-corruption court judge and a loan from "Zlochevsky's circle"

Zlochevsky is the founder of the company Burisma, known for his ties to offshore schemes and repeatedly mentioned in investigations regarding corruption in the natural resources extraction sector. A person from his circle finances a judge of the court specially created to handle cases of this level. The independence of the judge is under serious question.

90 thousand is a large amount even for a HACC judge

The salary of an anti-corruption court judge is one of the highest in the system — and still, 90 thousand dollars amounts to over two years of "net" earnings. A loan of this size from a person associated with a figure involved in corruption cases is not a neutral financial transaction. It is a potential lever of influence over the judge’s independence in decision-making.

HACC — a court that must remain above suspicion

The High Anti-Corruption Court was established as an institution with the highest standards of integrity. A judge with an undeclared or questionable lender is a blow to the very idea of the court. The public disclosure of these facts without an official response from the High Council of Justice or the National Anti-Corruption Bureau is yet another example of how the system protects its own.