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FIFTH
SECTION
CASE OF IVAN PANCHENKO v. UKRAINE
(Application
no. 10911/05)
JUDGMENT
STRASBOURG
10
December 2009
This
judgment will become final in the circumstances set out in Article 44
§ 2 of the Convention. It may be subject to editorial
revision.
In the case of Ivan Panchenko v.
Ukraine,
The
European Court of Human Rights (Fifth Section), sitting as a Chamber
composed of:
Peer Lorenzen, President,
Renate
Jaeger,
Karel Jungwiert,
Rait
Maruste,
Isabelle Berro-Lefèvre,
Mirjana
Lazarova Trajkovska, judges,
Mykhaylo Buromenskiy, ad
hoc judge,
and Claudia
Westerdiek, Section
Registrar.
Having
deliberated in private on 17 November 2009,
Delivers
the following judgment, which was adopted on that date:
PROCEDURE
- The
case originated in an application (no. 10911/05) against Ukraine
lodged with the Court under Article 34 of the Convention for the
Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (“the
Convention”) by a Ukrainian national, Mr Ivan Ivanovych
Panchenko (“the applicant”), on 8 February 2005.
- The
Ukrainian Government (“the Government”) were represented
by their Agent, Mr Y. Zaytsev.
- On
22 September 2008 the President of the Fifth Section decided to give
notice of the application to the Government. It was also decided to
examine the merits of the application at the same time as its
admissibility (Article 29 § 3).
THE FACTS
I. THE CIRCUMSTANCES OF THE CASE
- The
applicant was born in 1957 and lives in Brovary, Ukraine.
- The
applicant is a disabled war veteran. From 1994 he was on a special
list of persons to be allocated an apartment by the State on priority
basis (see paragraph 38 below).
1. First set of proceedings
- In
May 1997 the applicant instituted proceedings in the Brovary Town
Court (“the Town Court”) against Brovary Town Council,
requesting the court to order the defendant to provide him with an
apartment on a priority basis.
- On
17 July 1997 the court dismissed the applicant’s claim.
- The
applicant appealed and on 19 August 1997 the Kyiv Regional Court
(since June 2001 the Kyiv Regional Court of Appeal) upheld the lower
court’s judgment.
2. Second set of proceedings
- In
August 2001 the applicant instituted proceedings in the Town Court
against the Brovary Town Executive Committee, the Kyiv Regional State
Administration and the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, requesting the
court to order the defendants to provide him with a apartment on a
priority basis and seeking compensation for non-pecuniary damage.
- On
10 December 2001 the court dismissed the applicant’s claims.
- On
14 March 2002 the Kyiv Regional Court of Appeal (“the Court of
Appeal”) quashed the lower court’s judgment and remitted
the case to it for fresh consideration.
- In
the course of subsequent hearings before the Town Court the applicant
withdrew some of his claims, eventually requesting the court only to
order the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to provide him with an
apartment on a priority basis.
- On
27 November 2002 the Town Court dismissed the applicant’s
claim. On 27 December 2002 the same court rectified certain clerical
errors in its judgment.
- On
6 June 2003 the Court of Appeal quashed the judgment of 27 November
2002 and rendered a new one, ordering the Ministry of Defence of
Ukraine to provide the applicant with an apartment within three
months of the judgment becoming final. Apparently, this judgment was
not appealed against.
- On
20 October 2003 the State Bailiff’s Service instituted
proceedings to enforce this judgment.
- In
May 2004 the applicant requested the Court of Appeal to change the
means of enforcement of the judgment of 6 June 2003. In particular he
sought replacement of the in-kind award with monetary compensation to
him in the amount of 225,332.40 Ukrainian hryvnias (UAH).
- On
27 May 2004 the court rejected that request, indicating that the
matter should be examined by the Town Court.
- On
13 October 2004 the Town Court allowed the applicant’s request
in part, ordering the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to pay Brovary
Town Council the above-mentioned sum in order to purchase an
apartment for the applicant.
- On
12 May 2005 this sum was transferred to the bank account of Brovary
Town Council.
- On
16 May 2005 the State Bailiff’s Service terminated the
enforcement proceedings against the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine as
the judgment of 6 June 2003 as amended by the decision of 13 October
2004 had been enforced.
- On
26 May 2005 Brovary Town Council authorised the Brovary Town
Executive Committee to arrange the purchase of an apartment for the
applicant in compliance with the judgment of 6 June 2003 as amended
by the decision of 13 October 2004.
- According
to the Government, the sum awarded on 13 October 2004 was
insufficient to purchase an apartment for the applicant on the
second hand market due to the dramatic increase in real estate
prices. For that reason, having invited tenders, on 30 August 2005
the Brovary Town Council concluded a contract with an appropriate
company for the construction of an apartment for the applicant.
- By 2007 the apartment at issue had been constructed,
and on 14 August 2007 the Brovary Town Executive Committee
issued the applicant with a housing warrant (ордер
на заселення
житлової площі).
On several occasions the applicant was invited to take that warrant
but to no avail.
- On 3 July 2008 the Town Court found the applicant to
be abusing his rights (namely, by evading concluding the tenancy
contract and, accordingly, paying the tenancy fee) and ordered him to
take the housing warrant and move into the apartment within ten days.
In that regard enforcement proceedings were instituted against the
applicant but the judgment of 3 July 2008 has not yet been enforced.
- In November 2007 the applicant instituted proceedings
in the Town Court against the Brovary Town Executive Committee,
seeking to annul the defendant’s decision of 14 August 2007 to
issue him with the housing warrant. In particular, he pleaded that
the floor space of the apartment allocated to him was less than that
guaranteed by the domestic law and that the apartment had been
purchased as a result of an unlawful tender. On 8 September 2008
the court dismissed his claims as unsubstantiated. It is not clear
whether the applicant appealed against that decision.
- According
to the applicant, though, the judgment has still not been enforced.
He did not inform the Court about the events set out in the preceding
paragraphs (23-25).
3. Third set of proceedings
- In
October 2005 the applicant instituted administrative proceedings in
the Town Court against Brovary Town Council, seeking enforcement of
the judgment of 6 June 2003 as amended by the decision of
13 October 2004. In view of the increase in real estate
prices, the applicant also sought an additional sum of money to be
paid by the defendant as compensation for pecuniary damage as a
result of the alleged inactivity.
- On
28 October 2005 the court dismissed the applicant’s claim on
account of procedural shortcomings (in particular, for failure to pay
the court fee).
- On
17 February 2006 the Court of Appeal quashed that decision and
remitted the matter of the admissibility of the applicant’s
claim to the Town Court for fresh consideration.
- On
24 November 2006 the Town Court dismissed the applicant’s claim
as unsubstantiated.
- On
26 February 2007 the Court of Appeal upheld that judgment.
- On
25 September 2008 the Higher Administrative Court quashed the lower
courts’ decisions and discontinued the proceedings, having
found that the claim should be examined under the civil procedure.
4. Fourth set of proceedings
- On
31 October 2006 the applicant requested the General Prosecutor’s
Office to institute criminal proceedings against Brovary Town
Council, alleging embezzlement and misuse of budgetary funds.
- On
15 December 2006 the prosecutor refused to institute criminal
proceedings as requested. The applicant appealed against that
decision to the Town Court.
- On
3 August 2007 the Town Court quashed the decision in question and
referred the matter back for additional investigation. Subsequently
the prosecutor refused to institute the proceedings in question on
several occasions and the applicant successfully challenged those
refusals before the Town Court.
- Apparently
the investigation is still pending.
II. RELEVANT DOMESTIC LAW
A. Housing legislation
- Under
section 61 of the 1983 Housing Code publicly owned dwellings shall be
used on the basis of a tenancy contract concluded between the tenant
and the relevant authority.
- The Military Servicemen Legal and Social Protection
Act (no. 2011-XII of 20 December 1991, as amended at the
material time) sets forth that the State provides the military
servicemen with, among other benefits, appropriate dwelling (section
12). Those servicemen who have retired due to their service-related
injuries and diseases are entitled to housing on a priority basis
(section 12 § 4).
- Under section 6 § 1 of the State Housing Fund
Privatisation Act (no. 2482-XII of 19 June 1992, as amended at
the material time) the dwelling occupied by the military servicemen
who enjoy benefits under the above Military Servicemen Legal and
Social Protection Act shall be granted free of charge into private
property of these military servicemen.
- The
Veterans of War and Their Social Protection Guarantees Act
(no. 3551-XII of 22 October 1993, as amended at the material
time) guarantees that disabled war veterans shall be housed within
two years, at maximum, of submitting an appropriate application,
provided that their existing accommodation does not comply with the
relevant housing standards (section 13 § 18).
- The State Social Housing Fund Act (no. 3334-IV,
valid since 1 January 2007) provides the same guarantees to the
veterans of war (sections 11 and 12). Under section 3 § 5,
however, social dwellings are not subject to privatisation.
B. Enforcement proceedings
- The
relevant domestic law is summarised in the judgment of Romashov
v. Ukraine (no. 67534/01, §§
16-19, 27 July 2004).
- Under section 33 of the Enforcement Proceedings Act
the bailiff and the parties to the enforcement proceedings (debtor
and creditor) are entitled to request proprio motu the
relevant court to change the means of enforcement of a court decision
if there are circumstances which preclude its enforcement by the
means specified in that decision.
THE LAW
I. LENGTH OF THE SECOND SET OF
PROCEEDINGS AND ENFORCEMENT OF THE JUDGMENT IN THE APPLICANT’S
FAVOUR
- The
applicant complained under Article 6 § 1 of the Convention that
the length of the second set of proceedings
had been excessive. He further submitted that by not enforcing the
judgment of 6 June 2003, as amended by the decision of 13
October 2004, the State authorities had infringed his rights under
Article 1 of Protocol No. 1. The applicant complained under Article
13 of the Convention that he had no effective remedy in respect of
the non-enforcement of the above judgment. The applicant also relied
on Article 8 of the Convention with respect to the lengthy
examination of his claim and the enforcement of
the judgment in question. The above provisions provide, in so
far as relevant, as follows:
Article 6 § 1
“In the determination of his civil rights and
obligations ... everyone is entitled to a fair and public hearing
within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal
established by law. ...”
Article 8
“1. Everyone has the right to respect
for his private and family life, his home and his correspondence.
2. There shall be no interference by a public
authority with the exercise of this right except such as is in
accordance with the law and is necessary in a democratic society in
the interests of national security, public safety or the economic
well-being of the country, for the prevention of disorder or crime,
for the protection of health or morals, or for the protection of the
rights and freedoms of others.”
Article 13
“Everyone whose rights and freedoms as set forth
in [the] Convention are violated shall have an effective remedy
before a national authority notwithstanding that the violation has
been committed by persons acting in an official capacity.”
Article 1 of Protocol No. 1
“Every natural or legal person is entitled to the
peaceful enjoyment of his possessions. No one shall be deprived of
his possessions except in the public interest and subject to the
conditions provided for by law and by the general principles of
international law.
The preceding provisions shall not, however, in any way
impair the right of a State to enforce such laws as it deems
necessary to control the use of property in accordance with the
general interest ...”
A. Admissibility
- The
Government pleaded that the applicant was no longer a victim of the
alleged violation as the judgment of 6
June 2003 had been already enforced. They also submitted that the
applicant had abused his right of petition to the Court by avoiding
taking the housing warrant and not moving into the apartment
constructed for him. By failing to inform the Court that the
apartment had been constructed for him, the applicant also, in their
view, acted contrary to his obligations under Rule 47 of the
Rules of Court and requested the Court to declare the application
inadmissible. Lastly, they argued that the complaints under Article 1
of Protocol No. 1 were incompatible ratione personae as the
judgment of 6 June 2003, as amended by the decision of 13
October 2004, had not conferred any property right on the applicant.
- The
applicant disagreed, asserting that the judgment in question had
still not been enforced.
- As to the applicant’s failure to inform the
Court about the construction of the apartment at issue and events
relating to it (see paragraphs 23-24 above), the Court notes
that on several occasions it has declared applications inadmissible
because the applicants had failed to inform it about important
developments in their respective cases (see, among others,
Keretchashvili v. Georgia (dec.), no. 5667/02, 2 May
2006 and, recently, Khvichia and Others v. Georgia (dec.),
no. 26446/06, 23 June 2009). However, the Court
distinguishes these cases from the present one as in the former cases
the applicants did not inform the Court about receipt of relevant
payments due to them under the monetary awards whereas in the present
case the applicant resisted accepting the apartment allocated to him
under the in-kind award. In the situation where the applicant does
not accept the offer as enforcement of the judgment in his favour
(see the applicant’s claims before the Town Court lodged in
November 2007 as set out paragraph 25 above), his failure to
inform the Court about further developments in his case does not, in
the Court’s view, amount to abuse of right of individual
petition. Accordingly, the Court dismisses the Government’s
objection.
- The
Court further notes that the judgment of 6 June 2003 had been
formally enforced by 16 May 2005 when the Ministry of Defence of
Ukraine transferred money to Brovary Town Council. Although there
were no formal enforcement proceedings after that date, the Court
considers that the judgment remained unenforced till 14 August 2007,
when the Brovary Town Executive Committee issued the applicant with a
housing warrant. It is not for the Court, however, to speculate on
whether the apartment allocated to the applicant complied with the
judgment at issue, despite the applicant’s position that it did
not. In the absence of the domestic court’s decision to the
contrary, it deems, for the purposes of the present case, that the
judgment was enforced on 14 August 2007. However, the fact that
the judgment in the applicant’s favour has been enforced does
not deprive the applicant of his victim status in relation to the
period during which that judgment remained unenforced (see Romashov
v. Ukraine, cited above, §§ 26-27). Accordingly it
dismisses the Government’s objection.
- As to the objection compatibility of the applicant’s
complaints under Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 ratione personae,
which is in fact an objection of a ratione materiae nature,
the Court reiterates that Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 does not
guarantee the right to acquire property (see Van der Mussele v.
Belgium, 23 November 1983, § 48, Series A
no. 70, Kopecký v. Slovakia [GC], no. 44912/98,
§ 35, ECHR 2004-IX). An applicant can allege a violation of
Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 only in so far as the impugned decisions
related to his or her “possessions” within the meaning of
this provision. “Possessions” can be either “existing
possessions” or assets, including claims, in respect of which
the applicant can argue that he or she has at least a “legitimate
expectation” of obtaining effective enjoyment of a property
right (Kopecký, cited above, § 35). A
“legitimate expectation” must be of a nature more
concrete than a mere hope, and must be based on a legal provision or
a legal act such as a judicial decision (ibid., § 49).
- The
Court further reiterates that the right to any social benefit is not
included as such among the rights and freedoms guaranteed by the
Convention (see, for example, Aunola v. Finland (dec.),
no. 30517/96, 15 March 2001). The right to live in a
particular property not owned by the applicant does not as such
constitute a “possession” within the meaning of Article 1
of Protocol No. 1 (see H.F. v. Slovakia (dec.), no. 54797/00,
9 December 2003; Kovalenok v. Latvia (dec.),
no. 54264/00, 15 February 2001, and J.L.S. v. Spain
(dec.), no. 41917/98, 27 April 1999).
- In
the present case the judgment at issue did not require the
authorities to grant the applicant ownership of a particular
apartment, but rather to issue him with a housing warrant in respect
of any apartment satisfying the criteria laid down in the domestic
legislation. Thus, having regard the case-law in the preceding
paragraphs, the crucial issue is whether the applicant had a
“legitimate expectation” to get the disputed apartment
into his private property (see, mutatis mutandis, Malinovskiy
v. Russia, no. 41302/02, § 44, ECHR 2005 VII
(extracts)). Having regard the relevant domestic legislation (see
paragraphs 39 and 41 above) and that the parties did not comment
in this vein, the Court concludes, for the purposes of the present
case only, that at least before 1 January 2007 the applicant had
a “legitimate expectation” to get the apartment at issue
into his private property. Accordingly, it dismisses the Government’s
objection.
- The
Court notes that these complaints are not manifestly ill-founded
within the meaning of Article 35 § 3 of the Convention. It
further notes that they are not inadmissible on any other grounds.
They must therefore be declared admissible.
B. Merits
- The Government pleaded that the length of the judicial
and enforcement stages of the applicant’s case was not
excessive. In particular, they stated that the judgment of 6 June
2003 could not be enforced as there had been no available apartments
owned by the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine at the time.
Subsequently, it was the applicant who had claimed a sum insufficient
to replace the in-kind award and by the decision of 13 October
2004 had restricted Brovary Town Council’s means to enforce the
judgment at issue. As real estate prices had increased, it was
impossible for the Council to purchase an apartment for the applicant
in advance. For that reason it invested the sum awarded in the
construction of the apartment but it delayed the enforcement of the
judgment at issue. As the Council acted in good faith and took all
measures available to it, the delay in enforcement could not be
attributed to it. The Government concluded that there had been no
violation of the invoked provisions.
- The
applicant disagreed.
- The
Court reiterates that the court proceedings and the enforcement
proceedings are stages one and two in the total course of proceedings
(see Scordino v. Italy (no. 1) [GC], no. 36813/97,
§ 197). Therefore, the enforcement proceedings should not
be dissociated from the action and the proceedings are to be examined
in their entirety (see Estima Jorge v. Portugal, 21 April
1998, § 35, Reports of Judgments and Decisions 1998 II,
and Sika v. Slovakia,
no. 2132/02, §§ 24-27, 13 June 2006).
56. The
Court notes that the consideration of the applicant’s case by
the domestic courts lasted from August 2001 to
6 June 2003, when the Town Court
found in the applicant’s favour. The length
of proceedings in the judicial phase involving two levels of
jurisdiction is therefore one year and nine months
and there is no discernible period of inactivity which can be
attributed to the domestic courts.
- However,
the judgment of 6 June 2003 remained unenforced till 14 August
2007, that is for four years and two months.
- The
Court admits that the enforcement of a judgment incorporating a
ruling of a non-pecuniary nature may take more time than is the case
for payment of money awarded under a court judgment (see Ganenko
v. Ukraine (dec.), no. 27184/03, 11 January 2005,
where the two-year delay in providing the applicant with a car
designed for disabled persons was found to be compatible with the
Convention). It is true that by 13 October 2004 when the
in-kind award was replaced by a pecuniary one, the judgment had
remained unenforced for one year and two months, which is even less
than in the Ganenko case. Nevertheless, in the particular
circumstances, the Court does not consider this delay justified. In
this regard the Court emphasises that neither the debtor nor the
bailiff, who were or ought to have been aware of the lack of
available apartments from the very beginning, made any attempts to
make alternative arrangements for the applicant’s accommodation
or compensation (see, mutatis mutandis, Shpakovskiy
v. Russia, no. 41307/02, § 29, 7 July
2005, and Malinovskiy v. Russia, cited above, § 38).
It was the applicant who sought replacement of the in-kind award with
the pecuniary one.
- Furthermore, the Court notes that it took an
additional seven months for the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine to
transfer the sum awarded by the decision of 13 October 2004.
Although this period cannot be considered excessive per se,
having regard to the inactivity examined in the preceding paragraph
and the alleged dramatic increase in real estate prices, this delay
was inexcusable, diminishing as it did the applicant’s
prospects to have the judgment in his favour enforced.
- The
Court points out that by failing to take reasonable steps at the
initial stage of the enforcement proceedings, the domestic
authorities protracted enforcement of the judgment over four years.
The alleged diligent conduct of Brovary Town Council cannot
accordingly justify the whole period of non-enforcement of the
judgment of 6 June 2003.
- The
Court reiterates that it has already found violations of
Article 6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of
Protocol No. 1 in cases concerning lengthy non-enforcement
of judgments in the applicants’ favour (see, among many other
authorities, Voytenko v. Ukraine, no. 18966/02, §§ 43
and 55, 29 June 2004). The Court finds no ground to depart from its
case-law in the present case.
- There
has accordingly been a violation of Article 6 § 1
of the Convention and of Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 in
respect of the lengthy non-enforcement of the judgment in the
applicant’s favour in the present application.
- Having
regard to the above finding, the Court considers that it is not
necessary to examine whether, in this case, there has been a
violation of Article 8 (see, mutatis
mutandis, Laino
v. Italy [GC], no. 33158/96,
§ 25, ECHR 1999-I).
- Lastly,
the Court reiterates that it has held on numerous occasions that no
remedy existed under Ukrainian law against non-enforcement of
domestic court judgments given against State authorities (see,
among many other authorities, Voytenko v. Ukraine, cited
above, § 48). It finds no ground to depart from its
case-law in the present case. Accordingly, there has been violation
of Article 13 of the Convention in the present application as
well.
II. OTHER ALLEGED VIOLATIONS OF THE CONVENTION
- The
applicant further complained under Article 6 § 1 of the
Convention about the length of other sets of his court proceedings,
refusal to entertain his claim (third set of proceedings) and lack of
an effective criminal investigation of his complaints (fourth set of
proceedings). He also relied on Articles 3 and 17 of the
Convention.
- Having
carefully considered the applicant’s submissions in the light
of all the material in its possession, the Court finds that, in so
far as the matters complained of are within its competence, they do
not disclose any appearance of a violation of the rights and freedoms
set out in the Convention.
- It
follows that this part of the application must be declared
inadmissible as being manifestly ill-founded, pursuant to
Article 35 §§ 3 and 4 of the
Convention.
III. APPLICATION OF ARTICLE 41 OF THE CONVENTION
- Article 41 of the Convention provides:
“If the Court finds that there has been a
violation of the Convention or the Protocols thereto, and if the
internal law of the High Contracting Party concerned allows only
partial reparation to be made, the Court shall, if necessary, afford
just satisfaction to the injured party.”
A. Damage
- The
applicant claimed EUR 4,180,138 in respect of pecuniary damage
and the same amount in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
- The
Government contested these claims as excessive and unsubstantiated.
- The
Court does not discern any causal link between the violation found
and the pecuniary damage alleged; it therefore rejects this claim. On
the other hand, it awards the applicant, on an equitable basis, EUR
1,200 in respect of non-pecuniary damage.
B. Costs and expenses
- The
applicant also claimed EUR 15,439 for the costs and expenses incurred
before the domestic courts and EUR 968 for those incurred before the
Court. In support of the latter he provided postal vouchers to the
total amount of UAH 253.90.
- The
Government contested these claims.
- According
to the Court’s case-law, an applicant is entitled to the
reimbursement of costs and expenses only in so far as it has been
shown that these have been actually and necessarily incurred and are
reasonable as to quantum. In the present case, regard being had to
the information in its possession and the above criteria, the Court
rejects the claim for costs and expenses in the domestic proceedings
and considers it reasonable to award the sum of EUR 23 for the
proceedings before the Court.
C. Default interest
- The
Court considers it appropriate that the default interest should be
based on the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank, to
which should be added three percentage points.
FOR THESE REASONS, THE COURT UNANIMOUSLY
- Declares the complaints under Article 6 § 1,
8 and 13 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1 concerning
the length of the second set of court
proceedings, including the enforcement phase, and lack of
remedies in that respect admissible and the remainder of the
application inadmissible;
- Holds that there has been a violation of Article
6 § 1 of the Convention and Article 1 of Protocol No. 1;
- Holds that there is no need to examine the
complaint under Article 8 of the Convention;
- Holds that there has been a violation of Article
13 of the Convention;
- Holds
(a) that
the respondent State is to pay the applicant, within three months
from the date on which the judgment becomes final in accordance with
Article 44 § 2 of the Convention, EUR 1,200 (one
thousand two hundred euros) in respect of non-pecuniary damage and
EUR 23 (twenty three euros) for costs and expenses, to be converted
into the national currency of the respondent State at the rate
applicable at the date of settlement, plus any tax that may be
chargeable to the applicant;
(b) that
from the expiry of the above-mentioned three months until settlement
simple interest shall be payable on the above amounts at a rate equal
to the marginal lending rate of the European Central Bank during the
default period plus three percentage points;
- Dismisses the remainder of the applicant’s
claim for just satisfaction.
Done in English, and notified in writing on 10 December 2009,
pursuant to Rule 77 §§ 2 and 3 of the Rules of Court.
Claudia Westerdiek Peer Lorenzen
Registrar President