Knyazev assumes that he could have been "ordered" by NABU by former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Smirnov
Former Chairman of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev, whom NABU and SAPO accuse of receiving a $2.7 million bribe for ruling in favor of businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago in the Supreme Court case, gave his first interview after his detention in May 2023.
According to Knyazev, the charges are built on weak evidence and contain many procedural errors and inconsistencies. He suggested that former Deputy Head of the Presidential Office Andriy Smirnov might be interested in the case, hinting specifically at him as the person who could have initiated the "order".
«My relations with Smirnov deteriorated significantly towards the end of my tenure as head of the Supreme Court. There was an episode when Smirnov called and said that he had already arranged everything and... How did he put it? That “you will have problems with NABU”. I then thought it was funny, that can’t be true. This was a few months before all these events involving me», – recalls Knyazev.
When asked about communication with another Deputy Yermak Oleg Tatarov, who oversees work with law enforcement agencies in the Presidential Office, Knyazev confirmed that he met him after being appointed as head of the Supreme Court and maintained working relations.
«Multiple roundtables and meetings were held in the Presidential Office. Well, and, so to speak, he (Tatarov) was quite a patriotic person. That is, he was responsible for certain state issues. For example, he could call and say that there is a practice that for unauthorized leave from a military unit (SZCh), a mild punishment is assigned. This could lead to negative consequences, and maybe it’s worth consulting with judges. Or that law enforcement agencies complain that there are not enough investigative judges in a certain court, so it might be possible to consider sending judges there. Such conversations could have taken place», asserts Knyazev.
Knyazev was detained in May 2023 along with lawyer Oleg Gordienko. According to investigators, they received part of a record $2.7 million bribe for making a decision in favor of companies associated with businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago. According to NABU and SAPO, Knyazev was supposed to coordinate the "back office," through which the funds were transferred to Supreme Court judges.
During searches in Knyazev’s office and residence, detectives found significant amounts of cash. The charges also cite operational recordings of the transfer of funds.
The case is being heard by the High Anti-Corruption Court. Knyazev was in custody, later released on bail. Currently, the trial is at the stage of examining the case on the merits — the court is studying evidence and hearing witnesses. Knyazev himself insists on his innocence and claims that the case is politically motivated.
