Odesa Court of Appeal to Receive New Judges: HJC Approved Three Candidates

The High Council of Justice at its meeting considered the issue of submitting proposals to the President of Ukraine regarding the appointment of judges to the Odesa Court of Appeal. As a result of the discussion, the HJC supported three candidates, namely:

• Alfiya Kurbanova,
• Natalia Kolomiyets,
• Dmytro Roik.

The consideration of the candidacy of Ruslan Abukhin was postponed by the HJC after discussion to clarify all circumstances of the case, with the next meeting scheduled for July 28, 2026.

Details of the consideration of Alfiya Kurbanova's candidacy

Alfiya Kurbanova graduated from the Odesa National Law Academy in 2005. The candidate has no academic degree or title. She began her professional career in 2006 as a legal counsel at the corporation "First Consulting Group," from July 19, 2007, to February 20, 2015, she worked as an assistant judge at the Commercial Court of Odesa region, and from March 2016 she was an assistant lawyer and concurrently worked as a legal counsel. By the decree of the President of Ukraine dated September 24, 2016, Alfiya Kurbanova was appointed judge of the Shostka City District Court of Sumy region for a term of five years.

On September 24, 2021, her powers were terminated due to the expiration of the term for which she was appointed. By the decision of the Commission dated December 18, 2023, Judge Alfiya Kurbanova of the Shostka City District Court of Sumy region was recognized as corresponding to the position held.

By the decision of the High Council of Justice dated April 23, 2024, a submission was made to the President of Ukraine for the appointment of Alfiya Kurbanova as judge of the Shostka City District Court of Sumy region. By the decree of the President of Ukraine dated July 4, 2024, Alfiya Kurbanova was appointed judge of the Shostka City District Court of Sumy region.

She scored 741.3 points in the qualification evaluation.

During the consideration, the HJC noted the candidate's visits to the territory of Russia in 2017–2019. Also discussed were the statistics of case closures under Article 173-2 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses, violations of case review deadlines in 2017–2021, and issues regarding distance learning during active judicial activity. The candidate provided detailed explanations, which were taken into account by the HJC.

Details of the consideration of Natalia Kolomiyets' candidacy

Natalia Kolomiyets has solid judicial experience. In 2007, she was appointed judge of the Novokakhovka City Court of Kherson region, and since 2012, she has held the position indefinitely. She served as a judge of the Kherson Court of Appeal and since 2022 was seconded to the Odesa Court of Appeal.

She scored 709.06 points in the qualification evaluation.

The Public Integrity Council indicated possible provision of false information regarding a trip to Belarus in 2019–2020, non-declaration of certain assets of her husband, and making decisions during vacation. The candidate explained that the trip was a transit during a tourist tour of the Baltic countries, and other remarks were related to technical errors in declarations and the need for prompt consideration of procedural issues.

Details of the consideration of Dmytro Roik's candidacy

Dmytro Roik graduated from the I.I. Mechnikov Odesa National University (2003) and the Odesa National Law Academy (2008). Since 2010, he has worked as a judge of the Malynovsky (now Khadzhibey) District Court of Odesa, and since 2019, indefinitely.

He scored 709.71 points in the qualification evaluation.

The Public Integrity Council drew attention to the declaration of an apartment registered to a deceased grandmother, an undervalued, according to public opinion, price of the wife’s INFINITI QX50 car, use of the INFINITI QX60 car by his mother, and systematic violations of case review deadlines and entry of decisions into the Unified State Register of Court Decisions. The candidate provided explanations regarding these circumstances.

HJC Decision

The High Council of Justice supported the three candidates and decided to send the respective submissions to the President of Ukraine.

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