Negative Integrity Conclusion on Viacheslav Oleksandrovych Herheliinyk: Crimea Connection in Judicial Assessment

What Happened#

On May 5, 2025, the Public Integrity Council approved a negative integrity conclusion on Viacheslav Oleksandrovych Herheliinyk (Гергелійник В’ячеслав Олександрович), a candidate for a position at Appellate court. The conclusion was adopted by 12 of 18 members.

The PIC cited post-occupation trips by the candidate’s wife’s mother to Russian Federation and Crimea after its occupation as evidence of integrity violations. By treating travel to occupied Crimea as equivalent to travel to Russia and using it as grounds for a negative conclusion, the PIC implicitly recognizes Russian jurisdiction over the peninsula rather than treating it as Ukrainian territory under temporary occupation.

The Crimea-related element was cited as a direct basis for the negative conclusion.

The Crimea Connection#

Moreover, the candidate’s wife’s mother, Pidvalna Olena Viktorivna, repeatedly traveled to the Russian Federation and to the AR Crimea after its occupation by the Russian Federation. Specifically, the candidate’s wife’s mother crossed the state border: - at the Chaplynka checkpoint (exit) 20.06.2018; - at the Hoptivka checkpoint (exit) 21.07.2018 and Bachivsk checkpoint (entry) - 07.08.2018.

This passage treats post-occupation travel to Crimea as equivalent to travel to Russia, implicitly recognizing Russian jurisdiction over the peninsula by treating such travel as an integrity violation.

Context#

The Public Integrity Council was established in 2016 as part of post-2014 judicial reform in Ukraine. Its mandate was to assist in vetting judges and judicial candidates based on integrity and professional ethics. While formally an advisory body, its conclusions carried significant weight in qualification proceedings and could directly affect judicial careers.

Under Ukrainian law, Crimea is a temporarily occupied territory under the Law on Ensuring the Rights and Freedoms of Citizens and the Legal Regime of the Temporarily Occupied Territory (2014). The Constitution of Ukraine affirms Crimea as an integral part of Ukraine whose status cannot be altered without an all-Ukrainian referendum.

By treating Crimea-related connections as integrity risks within a formal assessment framework, the PIC applies an operational logic that treats Crimea as Russian-administered territory — reproducing the same premise that was formally codified in the December 16, 2020 revised Indicators.

Voters#

Verification#

• Official PIC conclusion document dated May 5, 2025, available on the Council’s public website.
• Electronic voting record confirming the vote count and participating members.