The Supreme Council of Justice approved the detention of the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev, who is suspected of receiving a $2.7 million bribe. 14 council members voted for the relevant decision, reports "Suspilne".
According to the Anti-Corruption Center, Knyazev, who was present at the meeting, commented on the presence of a large amount of money in his office.
He informed that his office is not a regime-secret object and that anyone can come there.
"Different persons brought money to me for safekeeping, even judges of the Supreme Court. I just kept them in my office," Knyazev noted.
Next, Knyazev will face court, where a preventive measure will be chosen for him.
The case of Vsevolod Knyazev
On May 15, it became known that Knyazev was caught taking a bribe of almost $3 million. The bribe was connected with decisions in favor of businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago in the case of the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant. In the Supreme Court, a "back office" was created under the leadership of Vsevolod Knyazev — the bar association helped judges make the necessary decisions for money.
In 2002, Zhevago acquired 40.19% of the shares of the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant from four companies. In 2020, the former shareholders wanted to return these shares through the court, but the court refused them. In 2022, the Court of Appeal still declared invalid the contract for the purchase and sale of shares of the plant. In order to prevent the loss of shares, in early March, Zhevago turned to the "back office" of the Supreme Court. Already on April 19, the Supreme Court made a decision in favor of Zhevago — it recognized that the businessman legally purchased the Poltava plant.
On May 16, the Supreme Court expressed its lack of confidence in Knyazev and released him, later Knyazev received suspicion. The higher anti-corruption court found the detention of the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev legal and kept him in custody.