The judge of the Northern Appellate Economic Court is tried for illegal enrichment: NABU declares a house in Kozyna at an undervalued price

The Supreme Anti-Corruption Court has begun consideration of the merits of the case against Lyudmila Kropivna, a judge of the Northern Appeals Economic Court, who is accused of illegal enrichment and making false statements in the declaration.

On July 27, the Supreme Anti-Corruption Court completed the preparatory meeting and proceeded to the consideration of the case on the merits. Judge Oksana Oliynyk is considering it alone.

What is the judge suspected of

According to the National Anti-Corruption Bureau, in December 2021, Lyudmila Kropivna purchased a house with an area of ​​260 square meters and two land plots in the village of Kozyn, Kyiv region. Detectives believe that the value of this real estate significantly exceeded her legal income.

Criminal proceedings were opened in May 2023. In 2024, law enforcement officers conducted a search of the judge’s residence and seized a mobile phone and tablet. In September 2025, she was officially informed of the suspicion.

In May 2026, the High Council of Justice suspended Kropivna from administering justice until the court verdict enters into force or the criminal proceedings are closed.

House in Kozyn: versions of the parties

According to the prosecution, the property was officially purchased for 8.2 million UAH, although a similar property was previously put up for sale for 1–1.5 million USD.

The prosecutor’s office draws attention to the fact that on the day of the contract, the real estate seller used a bank service to convert and verify 891 thousand USD, which, according to the investigation, may indicate the actual value of the transaction of about 24 million UAH. NABU suggests that the judge could have transferred the difference between the official and real price in cash.

In addition, experts from the Bokarius Kharkiv Institute of Forensic Expertise determined the market value of the house as of December 2021 at UAH 19.3 million.

The prosecutor also noted that the judge’s legal income at the time of the purchase of the property, including salary and loan, did not exceed UAH 7.6 million.

Defense position

Lyudmila Kropivna denies her guilt.

Her lawyers emphasize that the accusation is based on assumptions, and there is no evidence of the judge transferring cash.

According to the defense, the seller of the house could not sell the property for a long time, so she agreed to a lower price. In addition, the legislation does not oblige the parties to conclude a contract exclusively at market value.

Kropivna herself explained that during the inspection of the house she drew attention to cracks in the structure and other possible construction defects, which also affected the agreement on the value.

During the court hearing, she stated that the case has a political basis.

“I can confidently say that this is a deliberate persecution of me for a decision made by the panel of judges not in favor of the Zhevago company. This is a premeditated revenge,” the judge said.

What else is the prosecution drawing attention to

Prosecutors are also investigating the origin of the 5.8 million UAH loan that the judge received to buy a house. According to the case materials, the funds were provided by Natalia Havrylyuk, whom the media called Viktor Medvedchuk’s ex-wife.

The court plans to examine correspondence seized from the mobile phones of the judge, notary and real estate saleswoman, as well as question witnesses.

If found guilty under the article on illegal enrichment, Kropivna faces a sentence of imprisonment for a term of 5 to 10 years.