Position: head of the Vasylkiv city-district court of the Kyiv region.
Sphere of corrupt activity: justice.
Region of corruption activity : Kyiv region.
Qualification: Part 1 Art. 366-2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - intentional entry by the subject of the declaration of knowingly inaccurate information into the declaration of a person authorized to perform the functions of the state or local self-government, provided for by the Law of Ukraine "On Prevention of Corruption", if such information differs from reliable information by the amount of 500 to 2,000 subsistence minimums for able-bodied persons, - is punishable by a fine of three thousand to four thousand non-taxable minimum incomes of citizens or community service for a period of one hundred and fifty to two hundred and forty hours or restriction of freedom for a period of up to two years, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities activities for up to three years.
Status: On February 5, 2024, the Supreme Administrative Court found Maxim Kovbel, the chairman of the Vasylkiv Court of the Kyiv Region, guilty of falsely declaring an apartment and two parking spaces for UAH 5,000,000 in the capital's "Izumrudny" residential complex. The property was registered to the mother-in-law, who lived in Ternopil. VAKS found the judge guilty of making an unreliable declaration and awarded a fine of UAH 44,000 with a one-year ban from holding positions in the court.
2 years have passed since the offense was committed and the statute of limitations for prosecution has expired. Therefore, the judge was found guilty, but due to the expiration of the statute of limitations, he was released from punishment. Using the mechanism of civil confiscation, assets worth UAH 3.6 million were recovered from the judge.
The plot of the case: on April 10, 2023, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court scheduled for consideration the merits of the criminal proceedings on the accusation of the head of the Vasylkiv City District Court of the Kyiv Region, Maksym Kovbel, in making an untrustworthy declaration.
On July 13, 2022, VAKS partially satisfied the SAP's lawsuit to declare assets in the amount of UAH 3.6 million unsubstantiated, the legality of which was not confirmed by Maksym Kovbel. The prosecutor appealed to the court with a claim to recover from the judge 5.7 million hryvnias of funds, the legality of which caused reasonable doubt, to the state income.
On January 19, 2022, the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office appealed to the Anti-Corruption Court with a claim to recover from the judge 5.7 million hryvnias from state income, the legality of which causes reasonable doubt.
According to the SAP, the above-mentioned judge through third parties actually acquired an apartment in Kyiv with an area of 142 square meters and a car, the total cost of which reaches 6.7 million UAH. At the same time, during the analysis of the property status and its income, it was found that the funds used to purchase these assets could not have been purchased at the expense of the judge's legal income.
In the declaration for 2020, the judge did not indicate an apartment in Kyiv worth more than UAH 4.6 million and two parking spaces worth almost UAH 430,000, which were used by the judge and his wife.
Maksym Kovbel lied that his relative lived in the capital, but NABU provided its evidence - 85% of all telephone connections were registered in Ternopil. The judge's car was parked near the house for 248 days in the evening or at night, and then in the morning, the wife's car - 178 days.
Persons potentially involved in Maxim Kovbel's schemes: Engaged in corruption independently.
Scandals : Judge Maksym Kovbel is known for acquitting former People's Deputy Serhiy Pashinskyi. We will remind you that on December 31, 2016, during a conflict on the road with a stranger, Serhii Pashinsky used a prize weapon and shot the man in the leg. Maksym Kovbel acquitted Serhiy Pashinskyi, admitting that he shot the victim during an attempt of self-defense. This decision caused confusion and indignation in society.
Persons who should have responded to Maksym Kovbel's corruption schemes:
In the case of Maksym Kovbel, law enforcement agencies and the prosecutor's office worked well, the trial proceeded very slowly.
Assets: In the declaration for 2023, Maksym Kovbel entered two apartments in Kyiv - 142 and 60 square meters, three plots of land in the Vasylkiv district of the Kyiv region with a total area of over one hectare. A 2021 VOLKSWAGEN TOUAREG for myself and a BMW X5 for my wife. And all this for the judge's salary of UAH 1.1 million for 2023.
Maksym Kovbel lived in the apartment of his own mother-in-law, Hanna Panchuk - she bought a large apartment in the capital with an area of 142 square meters. m on General Shapovalov Street. According to the FSMU estimate, its value reaches 12 million hryvnias. At the same time, it seems that Anna Panchuk herself did not buy this property for herself. After the purchase, she was still the director of the Ternopil market "Orion", and therefore lived there. The woman did not have a solid business, she is only a registered entrepreneur and specializes in trade from kiosks. It is unlikely that she was able to bargain for such a significant amount of clothes. Apparently, it is this apartment that is the unsubstantiated asset that the SAP lawsuit is about.
Also, the judge has a father, Mykola Ivanovych Kovbel, whom he called a "businessman" in an interview with VKKS. He is the owner of LLC Furniture-Service LTD, which specializes in the production of furniture. However, the firm has almost no net profit. The maximum income was in 2016 - 16.5 thousand hryvnias. Meanwhile, the father handed over at least two expensive cars to the judge. These are the 2016 Lexus RX 200T and the 2012 Volvo XC90.
Sources:
Judge Maksym Kovbel: An ordinary Ukrainian “judge” is a scumbag and a bribe-taker
Meet Maksym Mykolayovych Kovbel, the head of the Vasylkiv city district court of the Kyiv region.
The court appointed the case of the head of the district court in Kyiv region for consideration
The accused head of the Kyiv district court went abroad for treatment