Destroyed IOUs for $180,000 and Property of a Respected Mother: Dossier of High Council of Justice Candidate Mykola Kucheriavenko

The Ethics Council began evaluating candidates for the High Council of Justice against the criteria of professional ethics and integrity. On 6 July 2026, Mykola Kucheriavenko was interviewed as one of five candidates for the High Council of Justice, nominated by the congress of representatives of legal higher education institutions and scientific institutions.

Mykola Petrovych Kucheriavenko is a candidate for a position on the High Council of Justice. His professional background includes many years of scientific and administrative work at the Yaroslav Mudryi National Law University, where he served as head of department and first vice-rector. He also held the position of first deputy minister of justice of Ukraine and chaired the competition commission for the selection of the NABU director. Since November 2025, Mr Kucheriavenko has been serving in the National Guard of Ukraine.

The interview at the Ethics Council, held on 6 July 2026, focused on verifying the candidate's compliance with integrity criteria. Council members raised questions concerning his financial transactions, the origin of funds for real estate purchases, and information from law enforcement agencies regarding his activities as head of the commission for selecting the NABU director.

One of the first matters considered by the Ethics Council was information received from the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) shortly before the interview. According to the information presented during the Ethics Council meeting and outlined in the SAPO report, the Council received data on possible circumstances requiring verification. Specifically, it was alleged that during his tenure as head of the commission for selecting the NABU director in 2023, Mykola Kucheriavenko might have received recommendations or instructions from government representatives, including Deputy Prime Minister Olha Stefanishyna, concerning the prioritisation of certain candidates.

Mykola Kucheryavenko vehemently denied these claims. He confirmed his acquaintance with Olha Stefanishyna but clarified that their communication related exclusively to his transition to work at the Ministry of Justice. The candidate also stated that he first learned of such information during the interview, had never received any instructions regarding the work of the competition commission, and had not been questioned in the relevant criminal proceedings.

A separate block of questions from the Ethics Council concerned a loan Mykola Kucheryavenko received in 2017 to purchase an apartment in Kharkiv. This involved UAH 4,604,400 (equivalent to approximately $180,000), provided by a long-time acquaintance of the candidate.

During the interview, members of the Ethics Council questioned the candidate on a range of issues, including professional ethics, academic integrity, and certain aspects of his personal life.

Specifically, the candidate's involvement in assisting with his stepson's dissertation was discussed. Mykola Kucheryavenko confirmed that he provided consultations on the methodology, structure, and scientific design of the research. He maintained that such assistance did not exceed ordinary scientific practice, drawing a parallel with his own experience of receiving similar support from his father, who was also a scientist.

Significant attention was also given to an administrative case concerning the candidate's departure from the scene of a traffic accident. The candidate explained that he did not notice the collision and had no intention of leaving the scene. While he considered the court's decision questionable, he chose not to appeal it due to the insignificance of the imposed fine.

Ethics Council members also enquired about the source of funds used by the candidate's son to purchase an apartment and a Tesla car. Mykola Kucheryavenko stated that he had not communicated with his son for a considerable period and therefore lacked information regarding his son's income sources, preventing him from providing detailed explanations about the financing of these purchases.

Practice of Forming Integrity Standards

Recent years have shown that the Ethics Council is progressively establishing a new standard of integrity for candidates seeking positions on the High Council of Justice. This standard extends beyond the mere absence of legally established violations; it also encompasses a candidate's capacity to ensure maximum transparency regarding the origin of their assets, property transactions, financial obligations, and potential conflicts of interest. Concurrently, this standard must be applied with strict adherence to constitutional guarantees, the principle of legal certainty, and the presumption of innocence, to prevent the evaluation process from devolving into decisions based on assumptions or unverified information.

A notable illustration of this approach was the discussion during Mykola Kucheryavenko's interview concerning a loan of $180,000. While the loan agreement itself constitutes a common civil-law transaction and does not inherently indicate a legal violation, the Ethics Council, as part of its integrity assessment, scrutinised another dimension: the candidate's ability to substantiate the origin of the funds, the authenticity of their transfer, the fulfilment of obligations, and the overall transparency of the financial operation.

The Ethics Council will make its decision regarding Mykola Kucheryavenko's compliance with professional ethics and integrity criteria at a separate meeting, following an analysis of the explanations and documents received. The evaluation procedure is currently ongoing to finalise the list of candidates recommended by the congress of scientists.

The analysis of the interview with Ivan Nazarov, a candidate for the position of member of the High Council of Justice from the congress of representatives of legal higher education institutions and scientific institutions, will be presented in the next article.

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