32 prosecutors in Khmelnytskyi region are seeking to have their disability status reinstated through courts following scandal involving MSEC, - media

Last year, following the scandal involving Tetiana Krupa, head of the Khmelnytskyi MSEC, and mass inspections of prosecutors with disabilities, 32 prosecutors from the Khmelnytskyi region took legal action to challenge the revocation of their disability status. More than half of them have already won their cases and are receiving the corresponding pensions.

This is reported by NGL.media, as relayed by Censor.NET.

Dozens of prosecutors are regaining their disability status through the courts

It is noted that the Ukrainian State Research Institute of Medical and Social Problems of Disability, located in Dnipro, is conducting a review of the validity of the MSEC’s decisions. All prosecutors whose disability status was in doubt were required to undergo an examination there.

However, not everyone agreed to the review. For example, Oleksandr Terletskyi, a prosecutor at the Khmelnytskyi Regional Prosecutor’s Office, who had a permanent Group II disability, did not travel to Dnipro. As a result, his disability status was automatically revoked and he was dismissed from his post. He is now attempting to return to work through the courts and have his Group II disability reinstated.

According to NGL.media, journalists analysed the list and found that 32 of these prosecutors had already appealed to the Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court.
Currently, 18 of them have received favourable court rulings and had their disability status reinstated, whilst in five cases the court upheld the legality of the decisions to revoke the status.

Why are the courts siding with the prosecutors?

The fact is that in the case of Group I or II disability, in addition to their salary, they also receive a pension amounting to 60% of their monthly salary. The basic salary of a district prosecutor currently stands at 52,500 UAH, so the disability pension would amount to almost 30,000 UAH.

However, there is a cap on pensions, which must not exceed 10 times the subsistence minimum for persons who have lost their ability to work; this year, that figure is 25,950 UAH.

Furthermore, like other citizens with disabilities, prosecutors enjoy certain privileges. It is much more difficult to dismiss them or transfer them to another post, and they are entitled to longer holidays. In the event of redundancies, they are more likely to retain their jobs. Additionally, in the event of dismissal from the prosecutor’s office, a disability may protect them from conscription, the publication notes.

In most cases, prosecutors have demonstrated that the document on the basis of which the SII initiated the inspections – a letter from the SBI or NABU – is not a legitimate procedural document. This means that the institute’s expert commission had no right even to commence an inspection of the prosecutors. Prosecutors confirm that they exploited procedural violations to overturn the inspection decisions.

Corruption at the MSEC

It should be recalled that on 5 October 2024, the State Bureau of Investigation reported that $6 million in cash had been found during searches at the home of Krupa, the head of the Medical and Social Expertise Commission (MSEC) in Khmelnytskyi region.
It was also reported that the head of the Khmelnytskyi MSEC had been detained and charged with illegal enrichment.
The State Bureau of Investigation is currently examining lists found in the office of Tetiana Krupa, head of the Khmelnytskyi MSEC. These lists contain names and fictitious diagnoses.
On 7 October, the Pecherskyi District Court imposed a preventive measure in the form of detention on Tetiana Krupa, head of the Khmelnytskyi MSEC.
On 10 October, Oleksandr Krupa — the son of Tetiana Krupa — resigned of his own accord from his post as head of the Pension Fund Administration in the Khmelnytskyi region.
On 16 October, Yurii Butusov, editor-in-chief of Censor.NET, revealed that 49 prosecutors in the Khmelnytskyi region, led by Regional Prosecutor Oliinyk, had obtained disability status, thereby ‘covering up’ the corrupt scheme of public servant Krupa at the MSEC and the Pension Fund. In particular, the journalist provided a list of the names of all the prosecutors and described the criminal scheme used.
Censor.NET also published a list of 30 heads of regional prosecutor’s offices who receive the highest pensions.
On 30 December, President Zelenskyy signed the law abolishing the MSEC with effect from 1 January 2025.