Law enforcement officers did not find about a million dollars in bribes, which were handed over to the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev.
Prosecutor of the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAPO) Oleksandr Omelchenko told journalists about this during a meeting of the High Council of Justice, Ukrinform reports.
According to the prosecutor, the money was transferred to Knyazev in two stages: $1.35 million on May 3, $450 000 on May 15. So far, law enforcement officers have seized $450 000 from Knyazev at home, another $597 000 was found in his office. The rest of the money has not been found yet.
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.
What did Zhevago want? In 2002, the businessman purchased 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.