The parliamentary temporary investigative commission (TIC) interrogated members of the Public Integrity Council, who evaluate judges – the discussion concerned signs of corruption and usurpation in the actions of activists

The parliamentary temporary investigative commission (TIC) on the investigation of possible corruption facts in law enforcement agencies, courts, and judicial authorities held another meeting on November 4, where it interrogated Tetiana Katrychenko, a former member of the Public Integrity Council, regarding the dubious actions of public organizations during the formation of the fourth current composition of the PIC, UNN reports. 

The reason was an article by the member herself, co-authored with Olha Piskunova, Liudmyla Yankina, and Oleksandr Voloshyn, dated August 6, during the election of the fourth composition of the PIC, where they actually accuse Mykhailo Zhernakov, the head of the DEJURE foundation, of bias and orchestration of the processes, as well as dubious and non-transparent methods of financing the Integrity Council - a key institution during the selection of all judges in Ukraine. 

During the interrogation as a witness at the TIC, Katrychenko confirmed all the data presented in the article co-authored by her, but refused to provide more information, sometimes trying to refer to Article 63 of the Constitution of Ukraine - not reporting data, believing that they could indicate crimes directly related to her. 

Katrychenko, like Zhernakov, heads public organizations funded by international donors. Both organizations, as stated in the article, submitted their representatives to the new composition of the Public Integrity Council (fourth composition) this year, but the process was moderated only by Zhernakov, who did not cope with his duties, Katrychenko indicates. In addition, 7 out of 17 members of the total composition of the Integrity Council came from Zhernakov's foundation, TIC members emphasized during the meeting. 

DEJURE is not able to fully ensure the quality of the Council's activities. The Foundation could not form a full-fledged secretariat, although it had a grant for it. The members of the PIC knew almost nothing about it, and the promises to solve the problems we signaled were not fulfilled.

After the strategic session, the Integrity Council informed the DEJURE Foundation about its intention to transfer the secretariat to direct donor funding without the mediation of any Ukrainian public organization, including Zhernakov. He allegedly initially agreed to his removal, but in fact delayed the time so that the PIC members would abandon this idea, Katrychenko claims, and intimidated that donors would refuse support. 

As stated in the article co-authored by Katrychenko, when the Public Integrity Council told the donors what was happening, it turned out that they did not know about the real state of affairs. 

"Ultimately, the Public Integrity Council initiated a conversation with donors to discuss the prospects of its institutional support by international technical assistance projects, following the example of the Public Council of International Experts. During the conversation, it turned out that the donors did not know about the real state of affairs in the Council's work, and the Council itself did not imagine the scope of donor support.

Attempts to form the subjectivity of the PIC were repeatedly met with resistance from the head of DEJURE, Mykhailo Zhernakov, who, despite declared support for the independence of the Council and reforms in the judicial system in general, actually blocked the establishment of direct contacts with donors," the article says. 

When the US presidential administration stopped funding in January 2025, it also affected the GDR donor. Then Zhernakov gave everyone an ultimatum: either he leaves the GDR, or he negotiates with donors on behalf of the Council. Eventually, a memorandum was signed about his monopolistic connection with donors. However, as Katrychenko, co-authored with others, points out, Zhernakov was the first to violate the terms of the memorandum, which he so insisted on signing: "During the organization of meetings for the formation of the fourth composition of the PIC, he secretly persuaded other organizations to vote for those whom he personally would like to see in the Council for the next two years, and against the current members of the PIC who see it as independent and institutionally capable."