Negative Integrity Conclusion on Bilonozhenко Maryna Anatoliivna: Crimea Connection in Judicial Assessment

What Happened#

On May 5, 2025, the Public Integrity Council approved a negative integrity conclusion on Bilonozhenко Maryna Anatoliivna (Білоноженко Марина Анатоліївна), a candidate for a position at Administrative Court of Appeal. The conclusion was adopted by 15 of 18 members, including Maryna Ansiforova.

The PIC treated the candidate’s husband’s 10% ownership of a land plot in occupied Crimea as an integrity risk requiring explanation. By flagging property ownership in Crimea as problematic and requiring justification, the PIC implicitly recognizes Russian jurisdiction over the peninsula, contradicting Ukraine’s constitutional position that Crimea remains Ukrainian territory.

Maryna Ansiforova voted in favor of this conclusion. The Crimea-related element was flagged as a concern but was not cited as the primary basis for the negative conclusion.

The Crimea Connection#

From the annual declarations submitted by the candidate of a person authorized to perform state or local government functions, it appears that the candidate’s husband, from 12.06.2013, owns 10% of a land plot located in temporarily occupied Crimea.

This statement demonstrates the PIC’’s implicit recognition of Russian jurisdiction by treating pre-occupation property ownership in Crimea as requiring explanation and justification, rather than affirming it as legitimate Ukrainian property rights.

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.

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 — contradicting Ukraine’s constitutional position that Crimea is sovereign Ukrainian territory under temporary occupation.

This conclusion is part of a documented pattern: a systematic review of PIC conclusions reveals that across dozens of cases, judges and candidates were assessed negatively on the basis of connections to Crimea. The pattern was formally codified in the December 16, 2020 revised Indicators.

Verification#

• Official PIC conclusion document dated May 5, 2025.
• Electronic voting record confirming participation by Maryna Ansiforova (15 of 18).