Former Supreme Court President Knyazev has reached a plea deal with the investigators and pleaded guilty — SAPO
This has been reported by the Specialised Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO).
Knyazev was caught in May 2023 accepting a bribe of an exceptionally large amount — $2.7 million.
At a hearing on 8 June, which was held behind closed doors, he fully admitted his guilt, agreed to testify against his accomplices and accept a custodial sentence.
In addition to five years’ imprisonment, he also received the following penalties:
- a ban on holding positions in the judiciary and law enforcement agencies for the next three years;
- confiscation of his flat and house;
- confiscation of over $200,000 of personal funds;
- special confiscation of $1,248,700 (money from bribes).
In addition, he will donate $1.1 million to support the Armed Forces of Ukraine through the ‘Come Back Alive’ fund.
He agreed to the deal, providing prosecutors with the names of judges who had recently been charged. He also named a number of other individuals involved in the case, whose names are not being disclosed.
According to sources close to Knyazev, the former judge agreed to cooperate because he “did not expect a fair verdict in the criminal case”.
The corruption case in the Supreme Court: what is known
In May 2023, the SAPO and NABU reported the exposure of “large-scale corruption” in the Supreme Court. Law enforcement officials charged Supreme Court President Vsevolod Knyazev and his accomplice, a lawyer, with accepting bribes.
According to the investigation, a law firm acted as an intermediary between the Supreme Court leadership and individuals seeking to “resolve matters” in court. Investigators recorded a series of contacts between one of the owners of this firm and the owner of the ‘Finance and Credit’ financial group (Konstantin Zhevago is said to be the co-chairman of this group).
In particular, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court considered a case regarding ownership of 40.19% of the shares in the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant Ferrexpo. In its ruling on 19 April, the court awarded the shares in question to companies linked to Zhevago. The businessman himself denied any involvement in bribing the head or judges of the Supreme Court.
On 15 May 2023, law enforcement officers caught the handover of the second part of the bribe ‘red-handed’ and arrested Knyazev and his lawyer at the same time. However, the SAPO stated that money had also been found in the possession of several other judges of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court.
The Plenum of the Supreme Court passed a vote of no confidence in the Chief Justice, Vsevolod Knyazev, and consequently terminated his powers as head of the court ahead of schedule. The High Council of Justice gave its consent to his detention. By January 2024, Knyazev had been released on bail.
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