The Bribe-Harvesting Judge: A Career Kaleidoscope

They finally caught the bastard. But will they jail him? What if he shares some of his harvest with those who harvested him?

Vasyl Onopenko, Chairman of the Committee on Legal Policy: ...to appoint Zvarych Ihor Stepanovych* and Lyubashevsky Vyacheslav Polikarpovych to Lviv Administrative Court of Appeals. There are appropriate letters of nomination, appropriate...uh...qualifications...uh...there are no complaints that would prevent them from being appointed. Therefore, I move that we confirm the nomination. [Officialese form: family name, first name, patryonymic. Onopenko went on to helm the Supreme Court of Ukraine, in a BYuT-friendly role.]

Adam Martynyuk, Vice Speaker: I have no objections either. Therefore, I’m putting this to a vote. Thank you! Approved. [Judges] Zvarych and Kuchma and others are elected judges.

The Hon. Ihor Zvarych, appearing before a judicial review panel: Well, Ukrainians have this habit — just don’t jump to conclusions, I’ll finish my point — to “sow” an offi...a new office when they come — some with kopiykas, some with hryvnias, some with dollars.

President Yushchenko: Still, I’m convinced that it will now take us quite some to find Judge Zvarych. I think bringing him to justice will probably be hard to do physically. But the problem does not lie in Judge Zvarych only. We can talk about the entire system being that way.

That “Chi Mai” theme from Le Professionnel doesn't do Zvarych any justice.

Since Zvarych knows so much about tradition, he should know the story of Judge Sisamnes, as told by Herodotus and later depicted in works of art:

Alas! alas! how are the commons oppressed
By that vile iudge, Sisamnes by name!
I doo not know how it should be redressed!

...

My complaint is, O mighty king, against that iudge you by,
Whose careles deeds, gain to receive, hath made the commons cry.
He, by taking bribes and gifts, the poore he doth oppresse,
Taking releefe from infants yong, widows, and fatherles.

I sentence give, thou ludas iudge. Thou shalt thy deed repent!
...

Receive thy death before mine eyes. Thy blood it shalbe spilt.

—Thomas Preston Cambyses

Sisamnes paid dearly for his misdeeds.


The Judgment of Cambyses by Gerard David


Now that’s the kind of down-to-earth art I’d love to see at PinchukArtCentre and in the Cabinet building, too!


Video embedded from: http://video.oboz.ua/movie.php?aWQ9MjU4MTImdnQ9MA
Original source: http://tsn.ua