NABU returns to the case of ex-chairman of the Supreme Court from Mykolaiv

After a pause of almost three years, anti-corruption authorities have returned to the case of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniazev from Mykolaiv. Three current Supreme Court judges and one retired judge have also been suspected of taking bribes for rulings in favor of businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago.

This was reported by the Babel media outlet.

The NABU and SAPO have intensified the investigation of one of the most high-profile corruption cases in the judiciary - the case of former Supreme Court Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniazev, a native of Mykolaiv. Three current judges of the Supreme Court, Iryna Hryhorieva, Zhanna Yelenina and Ihor Zheleznyi, as well as retired judge Oleksandr Prokopenko, were served with suspicion notices.

According to the investigation, in 2023, the judges of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court may have received bribes for making decisions in the interests of the owner of the Finance and Credit group, Konstantin Zhevago. The searches were conducted at the Supreme Court's premises, as well as at the suspects' residences and cars.

The NABU and SAPO publicly presented the Knyazev case back in May 2023. At that time, law enforcement officers announced the exposure of a large-scale scheme in the Supreme Court, through which millions of dollars in bribes were passed for the necessary decisions. Knyazev himself was detained while receiving part of the money.

According to the investigation, the total bribe amounted to about $2.7 million. According to law enforcement, part of this money was distributed among individual judges of the Grand Chamber. During the searches, marked bills were found in the possession of some of them.

The investigation is paying special attention to Judge Ihor Zheleznyi, who previously worked with Kniazev at the Mykolaiv District Administrative Court. The NABU believes that it is because of his long-standing ties that he was close to the former head of the Supreme Court.

Currently, the High Anti-Corruption Court is choosing preventive measures for the suspects. Prosecutors are asking for multimillion-dollar bail for the defendants.

As Intent previously reported, on May 15, 2023, NABU detectives detained Vsevolod Kniazev, the head of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, on suspicion of taking a bribe.

Knyazev is a native of Mykolaiv, graduated from the Mykolaiv Humanitarian Institute of the Ukrainian State Maritime Technical University and the Odesa National Law Academy.

On May 16, the plenum of the Supreme Court of Ukraine expressed no confidence in him in connection with the NABU 's publication of a report on the judge's alleged corruption.

During the session, the HCJ paid attention to Knyazev' s explanations regarding the money seized from his office. He said that his office was not a top-secret facility and that virtually anyone could come there.

Анна Бальчінос