The word of the law: VKKS will consider the issue of initiating cases against six judges

Meetings of the Higher Qualification Board of Judges (HCCC) will be held next week. An extensive agenda is expected, including giving consent to initiate criminal proceedings against six judges from different regions of Russia. Earlier, the head of the Investigative Committee, Alexander Bastrykin, asked the board to allow the Investigative Committee to initiate cases. For more information about what is happening, as well as the reasons for the persecution of judges and possible punishment, see the Izvestia article.

WCCC meeting on November 24-28

In the period from 24 to 28 November, meetings of the HCCC will be held. The summons will reportedly be extensive, and of particular interest is giving consent to initiate criminal proceedings against six judges in connection with suspected corruption and other illegal actions.

Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation, asked for permission to initiate criminal cases.

"The Qualification Board will consider the submissions of the chairman of the Investigative Committee of the Russian Federation on giving consent to the initiation of criminal cases," the HCCC said in a statement.

Among the persons on the agenda of the next meeting of the HCCC are both current and retired judges.:

— Adam Voitlev, judge of the Shovgenovsky District Court of the Republic of Adygea. He was appointed to this position by Decree of the President of the Russian Federation in March 2015. It is reported that in terms of service, he is the most experienced judge of the Shovgenovsky district Court. According to the VKKS website, on November 24, the issue of giving consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Voitlev on the grounds of a crime under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("receiving a particularly large bribe") will be considered;

— Olga Petrova, Deputy Chairman of the Leninsky District Court of Kursk. During her professional career, she has held a number of positions. In 2005, she was appointed justice of the peace of the judicial district No. 1 of the Kursk district of the Kursk region, in 2008 - judge of the Leninsky District Court of Kursk for three years, in 2011 — for an unlimited period. In 2019, she became deputy chairman of the Leninsky District Court of Kursk for a six-year term. According to the VKKS, the UK also demands that a criminal case be opened against her under Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. Kommersant previously reported that the investigation suspects the judge of receiving a bribe of 3 million rubles for assigning a non-custodial sentence to the defendant in the case of attempted fraud.;

— Retired Mukhamed Tembotov, Justice of the Peace of the judicial district No. 7 of the Nalchik Judicial District of the Kabardino-Balkarian Republic. He took up his position in 2011. In 2023, he tried to go to work in the Zaporozhye region, but was refused. He resigned on May 30, 2025. According to reports, he is charged with crimes under paragraph "a" of Part 5 of Article 290 ("receiving a bribe by a group of persons by prior agreement"; five episodes) and Part 1 of Article 291.2 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("Petty bribery");

— Retired Chairman of the Smolnensky District Court of St. Petersburg, Valery Tarasov. He began his career in 1985, becoming a people's judge of the Dzerzhinsky District Court. In 1997, he began acting as chairman of this court, and in 2013 he was appointed chairman of the Smolninsky District Court for six years, in 2019 this term was extended, but in May 2025 he resigned at his own request. The HCCC meeting on giving consent to the initiation of a criminal case against him will be held on November 28. He is charged under Part 4 of Article 291.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("mediation in large-scale bribery");

— Retired judge of Smolnensky District Court of St. Petersburg Karine Golikova. She began her career in Smolninsky District Court in 2000, and in 2005 her term of office was extended indefinitely. She completed the work in September 2025 at her own request. The consideration of her case, like that of Voitlev and Petrova, is related to Part 6 of Article 290 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation;

— Vyacheslav Kruglov, judge of the Krasnoslobodsk District Court of Mordovia. Since 2006, he has worked as an assistant judge of the Krasnoslobodsk District Court of the Republic of Mordovia, and in 2015 he was appointed to the post of judge of the Zubovo-Polyansky District Court without term limits. In 2021, he became a judge of the Krasnoslobodsk District Court. He is suspected of a crime under Part 1 of Article 305 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation ("making a knowingly unlawful sentence, decision or other judicial act").

The board will also consider the issue of giving consent to the detention of the chairman of the Yurgamyshsky District Court of the Kurgan region, retired Valery Kozlov, and the issue of terminating the resignation of judge Alexei Lukshin, ex—Deputy Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Mordovia.

Is it new

Alexander Khaminsky, a lawyer and head of the Law Enforcement Center in Moscow and the Moscow Region, notes that the procedure itself for bringing former and current judges to criminal responsibility is not something out of the ordinary. In just nine months of 2024, 22 judges were involved, the expert explains.

— In this case, the unusual thing is that the issue of involving six judges at once will be considered at the same time, — he believes.

Alexander Khaminsky also draws attention to the fact that neither the Chairman of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation nor the members of the HCCC are bodies of inquiry and investigation. During the hearing, they only assess whether there are grounds to satisfy the IC's submission and consent to initiate criminal proceedings against the judge.

— Consideration by the qualification board of judges of the issue of giving consent to initiate criminal proceedings against a judge is intended to determine whether there is a link between criminal prosecution and the professional activity of a judge, including his position in resolving a case, and whether such prosecution is an attempt to put pressure on a judge in order to influence his decisions, — explains the lawyer.

What does the judges face if they are found guilty?

Lawyer Oksana Nikitina explains that the law is the same for everyone, so each of the six judges, if found guilty, will receive the punishment provided for by the sanction of the article of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation imputed to him.

As an example, she cites Part 4 of Article 291.1 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, which Valery Tarasov is suspected of violating. It may result in a fine of 1.5 to 3 million rubles, or in the amount of the convicted person's salary or other income for a period of two to three years, or in the amount of 60 to 80 times the amount of the bribe, the expert explains. The article also provides for a ban on holding certain positions for up to seven years. The term of imprisonment under the article can range from 7 to 12 years with a fine of up to 70 times the amount of a bribe, etc. The court will decide what kind of punishment will be applied.