The National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) and the Special Anti-Corruption Prosecutorʼs Office (SAP) seized another $500 000 in cash in a case involving the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev.
The investigation claims that this money was hidden by members of a criminal group, but their origin and ownership are currently being ascertained.
The search was conducted on May 22 as part of a pre-trial investigation into the receipt of $2.7 million in bribes by Vsevolod Knyazev and lawyer Oleh Horetsky.
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 right 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 the contract of sale of shares of the plant invalid. 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 no confidence in Knyazev and released him, later Knyazev was suspected, and then the court arrested him.
- Earlier, law enforcement officers seized $450 000 from Knyazev at home, and another $597 000 was found in his office. The rest of the money is still being sought.
- Meanwhile, businessman Zhevago rejected all accusations of trying to bribe the Supreme Court and called the "customers". He says that the customers of this case are the former Russian owners of his assets, as well as businessman Ihor Kolomoiskyi.