The High Council of Justice supported the candidacy of Valeriy Sopilnyak to the Odessa Court of Appeal despite remarks regarding property issues

The High Council of Justice considered the issue of submitting proposals to the President of Ukraine regarding the appointment of judges to the Odessa Court of Appeal.

As a result of the discussion, the Council supported the candidacy of Valeriy Sopilnyak for the position of judge of this court.

Additionally, the High Council of Justice granted the request of candidate Ruslan Abukhin to postpone the consideration of his case due to health reasons. After discussing the candidacies of Dmytro Kiyan and Pavlo Prokhorov, the Council members decided to announce a recess to clarify all circumstances. The consideration of these issues will continue on August 11, 2026.

Professional path of candidate Valeriy Sopilnyak

Valeriy Sopilnyak graduated in 1999 from the National Academy of Internal Affairs, obtaining a full higher education in the specialty "Law" and the qualification of a lawyer. He does not hold any academic titles or scientific degrees.

He began his professional activity in 1995 in the internal affairs bodies of Ukraine. Later, he worked as a legal advisor at PP "Utilsyrovina", secretary of the court session, and deputy head of the department for ensuring legal work of the court and judicial process of the Commercial Court of Odessa region. He also headed the law association "Legal Company 'Lex Knowledge'". Currently, he is an associate member of this association.

In July 2001, he took the lawyer’s oath and, based on the decision of the Odessa Qualification and Disciplinary Bar Commission, received a certificate granting the right to practice law.

Conclusions of the Public Integrity Council and decisions of the High Qualification Commission of Judges

The Public Integrity Council drew attention to certain circumstances regarding the candidate’s property status. In particular, according to the 2018 declaration, on November 3, 2016, he acquired ownership of a 2016 Audi Q7 passenger car worth 2,362,620 UAH. According to the State Register of Individuals, the candidate’s and his wife’s income for the period from the first quarter of 1998 to the third quarter of 2016 amounted to 368,723.70 UAH. The candidate explained that the register does not reflect additional income in the amount of 31,639.41 UAH. Thus, the total family income before purchasing the car amounted to 400,363.94 UAH.

The Public Integrity Council also noted that in the declarations for 2018 and 2022–2024, the candidate did not indicate information about membership in the National Association of Advocates of Ukraine.

As a result of the qualification assessment, Valeriy Sopilnyak scored 712.41 points. The High Qualification Commission of Judges of Ukraine, in plenary session, having examined the conclusions of the Public Integrity Council and heard the candidate’s explanations, agreed with the collegium’s conclusions regarding compliance with the criteria of professional ethics and integrity. The Commission did not find other significant circumstances indicating non-compliance with the criteria of independence, honesty, impartiality, conscientiousness, incorruptibility, adherence to ethical standards, legality of sources of property origin, or correspondence of the standard of living to declared income.

The High Qualification Commission of Judges concluded that the candidate confirmed the ability to administer justice in the appellate general court according to the criteria of integrity and professional ethics.

Decision of the High Council of Justice

The High Council of Justice decided to submit a proposal to the President of Ukraine to appoint Valeriy Sopilnyak as a judge of the Odessa Court of Appeal. Fourteen members of the High Council of Justice voted in favor of this decision, none against.

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