The head of the Poltava Court of Appeal, who is the owner of the "church-house", was removed from office

The head of the Poltava Court of Appeal, who is the owner of the "church-house", was removed from office

The High Council of Justice dismissed the long-serving chairman of the Poltava Court of Appeals, Yevhen Halyonkin, who abused his position to protect offenders.

The HCJ decided to dismiss Judge Halyonkin, who had held the position of the chairman of the Poltava Court of Appeals for many years and used his connections to "resolve issues" involving cases of drunk drivers.

According to NABU, Halyonkin organized unofficial meetings with other judges and lawyers to settle these cases, including one involving the son of a judge.

During one of the discussions, Halyonkin directly stated his willingness to "help" resolve issues, which is confirmed by his phrase: "We are normal people, we will always go the extra mile. If help is needed, we will always help."

The HCJ’s disciplinary chamber had previously issued only a reprimand for Halyonkin, but NABU and the judge himself appealed this decision. As a result, the full composition of the HCJ unanimously decided to dismiss him from his position.

Afterward, Halyonkin twice tried to postpone the hearing of the case citing health problems, but this did not affect the Council’s decision. Thus, Halyonkin was left without severance pay and lifetime benefits.

It should be noted that Halyonkin is known in Ukraine as the owner of a five-story "church house" with an area of 661.2 square meters.