HACC judge with a salary of 250 thousand UAH per month demanded in court to pay one hryvnia as alimony for his only son – expert
Judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court of Ukraine (HACC) Markiyan Halabala, whose monthly income exceeds UAH 250,000, filed a request to lower child support payments for his only son to UAH 1. The court rejected the claim and ruled in favor of his ex-wife. The information was disclosed by political analyst Oleh Posternak on Facebook.
"A judge of the HACC with an income of UAH 250,000 per month sued his ex-wife for alimony for his only son. In 2023–2024, Markiyan Halabala filed a lawsuit against his ex-wife seeking to reduce child support payments for his son from UAH 22,720 to UAH 1. Apparently, he lacked the ability to control the intended use of funds; therefore, he argued, he should not pay at all. The court, naturally, ruled in favor of the ex-wife and the child, because this was too rogue a claim even for fellow judge", – Posternak wrote.
He noted that, according to Halabala’s asset declaration, his annual salary as a judge of the HACC amounts to UAH 2.5 million, with an additional UAH 0.5 million earned from interests and the sales of securities and corporate rights.
“That is, UAH 3 million in annual income – UAH 250,000 per month. Alimony for the only son amounts to less than one-tenth of the salary. And there are also savings exceeding UAH 1.6 million. Demanding UAH 1 in alimony was an outright wild move on Halabala's part", – the expert emphasized.
Posternak also referred to other aspects of the judge’s background.
“Halabala is the modern Koreiko of the judicial system. According to media reports, Google is now removing any mention of Halabala’s defense of the former minister [in the government under former Ukrainian President Viktor] Yanukovych, known for the largest bribe in Ukraine’s history, Mykola Zlochevsky, as well as People’s Deputy from the Party of Regions [Oleksandr] Onyshchenko", – he wrote.
Posternak added that ethical issues involving judges remain of significant public concern.
"These individuals, acting on behalf of the state, pass judgment on others, and thus their decisions are influenced, among other factors, by their personal beliefs. If a judge is indifferent to his only underage son, we should not be surprised by rulings in favor of criminals when there is a potential for personal financial gain. Ultimately, this is not all – I will soon share more intriguing details about Judge Halabala's case", – he added.
Context:
In January, it was reported that Judge of the High Anti-Corruption Court, Markiyan Halabala, received official housing, despite already being provided with accommodation in Kyiv.