Sentenced to 9 years, Mykhailo Holovko lost his mandate: what will happen to the deputyship of his relatives

At the same time, his closest relatives — brother Nazariy and wife Maryana — continue their deputy activities in local councils of Ternopil region.

On July 8, 2026, the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court reviewed Mykhailo Holovko’s case. Following the appeals decision, the main punishment remained in force for him — 9 years of imprisonment. The politician was taken into custody in the courtroom, and the verdict entered into legal force.

It was this circumstance that put an end to the question of his deputy status.

According to the Law of Ukraine “On the Status of Deputies of Local Councils”, in the event of a guilty verdict entering into legal force, under which a deputy is sentenced to imprisonment, his powers are terminated early. No separate vote by the Ternopil Regional Council to strip Holovko of his mandate is required in such a case.

Holovko remained listed as a deputy on the regional council’s website for another month

Despite this, a month after the verdict entered into legal force, Mykhailo Holovko was still listed among the deputies on the official website of the Ternopil Regional Council.

Moreover, the list of deputies on the regional council’s website had an interesting feature. Almost all surnames were arranged alphabetically, but Mykhailo Holovko was placed at the very top of the list — ahead of deputies whose surnames begin with the letter “B”.

Mykhailo Holovko’s considerable self-esteem has been repeatedly discussed in political circles. Even the list of deputies on the official website of the regional council once had its peculiarity: all — in alphabetical order, but Mykhailo Holovko — first.

After the verdict entered into legal force, this picture remained unchanged for some time. As of August 8, his photo, name, and link to his personal page were still in the deputy corps.

“Ternopiliany” contacted the leadership of the Ternopil Regional Council regarding why the politician, sentenced to imprisonment and whose deputy powers should have already been terminated by law, was still listed as a deputy on the official resource.

After our appeal, the situation changed. Mykhailo Holovko disappeared from the list of deputies of the Ternopil Regional Council.

Thus, he is now absent not only from the deputies legally, but also from the list of the deputy corps on the official website of the regional council.

What about the deputy mandates of Holovko’s relatives?

Despite the end of Mykhailo Holovko’s own deputy career, his family remains represented in local politics of Ternopil region.

Mykhailo Holovko’s brother Nazariy Holovko remains a deputy of the Ternopil Regional Council.

The wife of the convicted politician, Maryana Holovko, is a deputy of the Ternopil City Council.

Mykhailo Holovko’s verdict does not automatically create any legal grounds for terminating the deputy powers of his brother or wife. Liability in criminal proceedings is personal, and the law defines separate grounds for the early termination of powers of each deputy.

Therefore, if we talk about possible consequences for Nazariy and Maryana Holovko, they may be not legal, but political or intra-party.

“Svoboda” remains publicly silent

A separate issue is the reaction of the All-Ukrainian Union “Svoboda”, with which Mykhailo Holovko’s political career had been associated for many years.

He was a deputy of the Ternopil City Council, a People’s Deputy of Ukraine, a deputy and head of the Ternopil Regional Council. His official personal page on the regional council’s website stated that he became a member of “Svoboda” back in 2002.

However, after the verdict entered into legal force and Mykhailo Holovko’s imprisonment, the party currently has no public position on the situation.

Likewise, there are no reports of any political or intra-party consequences for the deputy activities of his closest relatives — Nazariy and Maryana Holovko.

For Mykhailo Holovko himself, the issue of deputy status is effectively closed: after the verdict entered into legal force, his deputy powers were terminated, and after “Ternopiliany’s” appeal, he was also removed from the list of deputies on the official website of the Ternopil Regional Council.

Instead, another question remains open — who will receive the deputy mandate instead of Mykhailo Holovko and whether his imprisonment will have any political consequences for Ternopil “Svoboda” and members of the Holovko family who remain in local councils.