The panel of judges approved the initiation of a criminal case against a former colleague from Sochi

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The High Qualification Collegium of Judges granted the investigation's motion to initiate a criminal case against Sochi judge Valery Sluka, whose powers were terminated in 2023 due to the legalization of illegal buildings.

As reported by "Kavkazsky Uzel", in September 2023, more than 120 buildings in Sochi were recognized as illegal and subject to demolition. In connection with this, two judges of the Central District Court resigned, including Valery Sluka. The chairman of the court and another judge were stripped of their powers.

The High Qualification Collegium of Judges of the Russian Federation (HQCJ) agreed with the motion of the Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia Alexander Bastrykin to initiate a criminal case against former judge of the Central District Court of Sochi Valery Sluka, Kommersant wrote on September 15.

Sluka is charged under Part 2 of Article 286 (abuse of office) and Part 1 of Article 305 (delivering a knowingly unjust sentence, decision or other judicial act) of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation. His powers were terminated early in 2023 after an inspection revealed systematic violations in his work; about 200 illegal violations were identified in the management of land and the legalization of unauthorized buildings, a significant part of which were subsequently overturned by the appellate court.

Recall that in 2019, the qualification board of the Krasnodar Court terminated the powers of Adler Court judge Alexander Yakimenko after overturning 27 of his decisions on unauthorized construction. It was also decided to bring Yakimenko to disciplinary responsibility.

Sochi residents have repeatedly complained about the problem of unauthorized buildings in the city. As of early December 2023, 215 buildings were added to the register of unauthorized apartment buildings in the Krasnodar Territory, more than half of them are in Sochi, local authorities said.

In 2024, the Russian Prosecutor General's Office filed a lawsuit demanding that the transfer of land plots on which apartment buildings have already been built be canceled to developers. In particular, this concerns the Morskaya Simfoniya residential complex, which was legalized by the court. This decision was overturned by a higher court, and the judge who made it resigned.