The National Anti-corruption Bureau (NABU) searched three Supreme Court judges in the case of a bribe to the former head of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev.
This is stated in the decision of the Appeals Chamber of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC).
On May 16, NABU detectives searched the apartment of Zhanna Yelenina, judge of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court, where they found $177.7 thousand and €10 thousand in cash.
$50 000 was identified as part of the illegal gain, and the court seized this money. They were allegedly handed over during a special operation by NABU and SAP.
Searches were also conducted at Supreme Court judge Iryna Hryhoryeva and retired judge of the Criminal Court of Cassation Serhiy Storozhenko. It is not yet known what was found in them, because there was no appeal.
- On May 15, it became known that Knyazev was caught taking a bribe of almost $3 million. The bribery was connected with decisions in favor of businessman Kostyantyn Zhevago in the case of the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant (here are more details about the case). Businessman Zhevago rejected all the accusations and called the "customers" — the alleged Russian owners of his assets, as well as businessman Ihor Kolomoiskyi.
- On May 16, the Supreme Court expressed no confidence in Knyazev and released him, later Knyazev received suspicion, and then the court arrested him with the right to bail (107 million hryvnias). Now his bail has been reduced from 107 million hryvnias to 75 million hryvnias.
- Stanislav Kravchenko — the head of the Criminal Court of Cassation (here is his profile) — became the new head of the Supreme Court.