Over 900,000 pending cases in the courts: The Accounting Chamber identifies the causes
14 May 07:33
The workload on Ukraine’s judicial system has increased significantly. According to the Accounting Chamber, in 2024, each judge handled an average of over 900 cases per year, and in some cases, up to 5,000. At the same time, the number of pending court cases has already exceeded 904,000. To determine the reasons for the backlog of cases, the Accounting Chamber has launched a compliance audit, reports "Komersant Ukrainian"
What the Accounting Chamber Found
During its inspections and sectoral analysis, the Accounting Chamber identified a significant increase in the number of court cases in Ukraine. This has led to an increased workload for judges and the accumulation of a large number of pending cases.
According to the institution, in 2024, a single judge handled an average of over 900 cases per year. In some cases, the caseload reached up to 5,000 cases per judge.
How many cases remain pending
The number of pending court cases in Ukraine has exceeded 904,000. A significant portion of these involve disputes with government agencies.
This means that the problem concerns not only the work of the courts as an institution but also the quality of interaction between citizens, businesses, and government agencies within the legal framework.
Why this is a problem for citizens and businesses
The backlog of pending cases directly affects people’s access to justice. The longer a case remains pending, the greater the financial, reputational, and social consequences for the parties may be.
For citizens, this can mean delays in resolving labor, social, property, or administrative disputes. For businesses, it means prolonged uncertainty regarding tax, contractual, land, or regulatory issues.
What the Accounting Chamber Will Examine
The Accounting Chamber has launched a compliance audit to investigate the causes of the backlog of court cases. As part of the audit, they plan to assess:
- factors contributing to delays in case processing;
- costs associated with the delay of court proceedings;
- the compliance of government agencies’ activities regarding self-representation in court with legal requirements.
Kyrylo Klymenko, a member of the Accounting Chamber, has been designated as the person responsible for the audit. In the Accounting Chamber’s work plan for 2026, the compliance audit on the topic “Accumulation of Pending Cases in Courts” is also assigned to Kyrylo Klymenko.
Why government agencies will be audited separately
A significant portion of pending cases involves disputes with government agencies. That is why the Accounting Chamber will separately assess how government agencies represent themselves in court and whether such activities comply with legal requirements.
This is important because a poorly formulated legal position, frivolous appeals, or widespread delays in proceedings can further overload the judicial system.
What the audit may reveal
The audit can help determine whether the backlog of cases is due to staffing shortages in the courts, inefficient work by government agencies, an excessive number of similar disputes, or procedural issues.
The audit results can also serve as a basis for recommendations to the government, parliament, judicial bodies, or other state institutions regarding changes to the system’s operations.
Why the workload on judges is increasing
Possible reasons for the high workload on the judicial system may include a shortage of judges, lengthy staffing procedures, an increase in the number of disputes with government agencies, the consequences of the war, a rise in the number of social and administrative lawsuits, as well as the complexity of certain categories of cases.
The final conclusions regarding the causes must be established by the Audit Office’s audit.
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