"Keep in an envelope": in courts, a practice of unofficial payments to staff members was discovered

"Keep in an envelope": in courts, a practice of unofficial payments to staff members was discovered

In the courts of first and appellate instance, facts of unofficial monetary payments to court staff and judges’ assistants have been identified - such actions bear all the hallmarks of corrupt practices.

This is stated in the report of the public organization "Laboratory of Legislative Initiatives" based on a survey conducted in February-June 2025, writes SUD.ua.

The survey covered 1,041 court staff members and judges’ assistants.

According to its results:

• 88 respondents reported that they occasionally receive unofficial payments from judges;
• 27 individuals indicated that they receive such payments on a regular basis;
• 2 individuals reported one-time payments for urgent or complex tasks;
• 119 survey participants refused to answer this question, which may also indicate the presence of sensitive or risky information for them.

Although the majority (795 individuals) did not report such facts, the scale of confirmed cases and the silence of some respondents point to widespread shadow practices in the justice system.