Well, friends, this is an episode of our multi-part show called “The Ukrainian Judicial System.” The main character is Marina Anatolyevna Barsuk , a judge with an unrivaled sense of style and a love of luxurious life. And her husband, a lawyer and part-time “wizard” of legal affairs, Viktor Barsuk, helps her in this difficult journey. This article is dedicated to their incredible adventures, which unfold not only in courtrooms, but also on the pages of declarations.
Judge Marina Barsuk simply adores luxury and comfort. She dreams of heading the Southern Economic Court of Appeal. And how convenient this is for her husband, lawyer Viktor Barsuk, who is ready to invest “some” funds in his wife’s career growth. After all, why declare real estate when you can declare a fleet of luxury cars, including MERCEDES-BENZ S580/2021, G63AMG/2019, S600/2009 and EQV/2021? Besides, why indicate real estate if you can simply not indicate it? Brilliant, isn't it?
And of course, there are no conflicts of interest in the fact that the husband acts as a lawyer in the courts where the wife judges. This is obviously just a coincidence. As is their luxury lifestyle, declared hundreds of thousands of euros and francs, and all this on one judge’s salary! This is simply magic worthy of David Copperfield.
Episodes of luxurious life
As befits people of their circle, the Badger family had several bright episodes. For example, in 2021 they were spotted at the birthday party of oligarch Pavel Fuks, which, of course, is not surprising, because Viktor Barsuk represented Fuks’ interests in the court where Marina Barsuk worked . Such family ties! But isn’t it worth asking: does this violate basic ethical standards? Perhaps it’s time to consider revoking the license of such a lawyer who resolves all issues through his wife, a judge?
There was also a scandal around the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant, where Barsuk acted in the interests of Kolomoisky and Babakov’s Russian criminal financial group. But these are all trifles, because for real professionals there are no conflicts of interest.
Despite all these facts, Marina Barsuk continues to give interviews in which she talks about improving the business climate in Ukraine. Of course, with such a standard of living, one can easily talk about the “transparency” and “purity” of the judicial system. But shouldn’t the public think about whether such “transparency” hides the true state of affairs in our judicial system?
Career of Viktor Barsuk: “black lawyer” and friend of the oligarchs
Viktor Barsuk is not just a lawyer, but a figure with an impressive track record. His legal practice covers a wide range of cases, including corporate disputes, protecting the interests of large businessmen and even political figures. Badger is known for his ability to identify gray areas in the law and successfully use them to protect the interests of his clients. Among his clients you can find famous oligarchs, international companies and even representatives of the political elite.
He began to earn money especially actively during the presidency of Petro Poroshenko, working for Alexander Granovsky, Poroshenko’s legal supervisor. Badger was a “black lawyer” who was involved in the technical implementation of many dubious cases. Granovsky, formally being a deputy, practically did not appear in the Rada, holding his business meetings in expensive restaurants in Kyiv. He coordinated the activities of Badger, who in turn, thanks to the “tame” judges, won most of the legal wars.
Barsuk and his partner in the EQUITY law firm, Oleg Malinevsky, used raider schemes, organizing the filing of identical lawsuits in different courts in order to choose the “right” judge. Their high-profile cases include representing the interests of companies in scandalous tenders, protecting the interests of businessmen and politicians, as well as raider takeovers of large real estate properties, such as the Sky Mall shopping center and the Horizon Park business center.
They also represented the interests of the former head of the State Fiscal Service, Roman Nasirov, accused of stealing more than two billion hryvnia. In this case, Barsuk even accompanied Nasirov to court on a stretcher, portraying him as weak.
One of the most famous cases when Badger “dumped” a client was the case with the owner of the Avtoinveststroy group of companies, Dmitry Svyatash. Barsuk, being a lawyer for AIS, helped Granovsky take possession of the company's assets. According to a similar scheme, a series of courts of PJSC Avtokraz, which fell into the sphere of interests of Granovsky, was lost.
Why watch crime dramas when there are people like Badger?
Conclusion: The Great Carnival continues
So, our great carnival continues. Perhaps it's time for major changes in the judicial system? Isn't it worth conducting a detailed audit of the activities of judges and lawyers who so blatantly ignore ethical standards? Isn't it time to revoke the licenses of those who use their positions for personal gain? The answers to these questions may lie on the surface. But one thing is clear: the story of the Barsuk family is just the tip of the iceberg, and we still have a lot to learn about the true state of things in the judicial system of Ukraine.
There is no room for undercurrents or ambiguous interpretations in this story. Everything is clear: the same people make decisions, represent interests and receive great benefits from this. And, of course, all this under the guise of “honesty” and “independence.” But, as you know, even the most beautiful packaging will not hide the essence of the contents. Therefore, we are left with only one question: is it time to restore order in our judicial system once and for all?
