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Thursday, March 19, 2009

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.



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

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Taras, I have been looking for days at this particular post.

The last part is very impressive indeed.

I do not know how you found this classical piece of literature, but - very impressive.

I only wish Ukrainians finally realized in their hearts and down to their bones how important it is to have an independent, honest judiciary.

The sovoks really screwed people up very, very badly - they can't tell up from down, truth from lies, go from stop, can't tell the truth themselves.

I hope it changes soon.

And Zvarych would be a nice place to start.

Susanna Stanik got away with it. So did others.

Taras said...

Stanik got away with it, and so will Zvarych — unless thousands rally outside the court building where he will stand trial.

Zvarych is just the tip of the corrupt “one for all, all for one” judicial octopus. Keep in mind that we don’t have a witness protection program in Ukraine. (We only have judicial immunity.)

I learned about The Judgment of Cambyses at some Ukrainian blog, thanks to a friendly tip.

Bohdan Warchomij said...

Hi Taras
Thank you for your amazing blog. Thank you also for the nice comments on my Metaphor blog site which led me to your Ukrainiana site. I will spend a lot more time rediscovering Ukraiina from the information that you supply.
Best wishes
Bohdan Warchomij
www.metaphorimages.com

Taras said...

You are most welcome, Bohdan!

You do great photography work!

My warmest greetings to all Ukrainian Australians!