Ukrainian prosecutors detained the head of the Supreme Court in an investigation they said had uncovered “large-scale corruption” at the nation’s highest judicial body.
(Bloomberg) — Ukrainian prosecutors detained the head of the Supreme Court in an investigation they said had uncovered “large-scale corruption” at the nation’s highest judicial body.
Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazev was detained on suspicion of taking a $2.7 million bribe, the head of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau said Tuesday. Another official who wasn’t named was also being held, although neither has been charged, he said.
“Top Supreme court officials were caught red-handed,” on May 15, NABU chief Semen Kryvonos said Tuesday. “During a search, a significant sum of money was confiscated, and proof was found.”
Knyazev wasn’t immediately reachable for comment. The court, comprising five separate bodies and as many as 200 judges, was holding an extraordinary meeting Tuesday “because of the events surrounding Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazev,” it said on Facebook.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government is under increasing pressure to root out graft as it seeks economic support during its efforts to expel invading Russian forces and lobbies to join the European Union and NATO.
While the country has been reforming its court system since 2014 after massive street rallies toppled the government of President Viktor Yanukovych, corruption that became entrenched after the collapse of the Soviet Union is still persistent.
On Monday, authorities said tycoon Dmitry Firtash and managers at firms under his control had been notified that they are suspects in an embezzlement scheme that caused the state losses of 4.2 billion hryvnia ($115 million) in 2021 alone. Firtash’s company, Group DF, denied the allegations.
In another case, Ukrainian oligarch Pavlo Fuks, who made his fortune in oil trading, banking and real estate development, was handed a notice of suspicion for tax evasion, the Security Service of Ukraine said on its website. Fuks said on Telegram that the allegations were “baseless.”
Kryvonos said investigators had identified ties between court Chairman Knyazev and the owner of Bank Finance and Credit Group, which allegedly paid a bribe to court officials to influence a ruling. The owner of the lender, Kostyantin Zhevago, is also under suspicion of alleged fraud, which he denies. He declined to comment through his press office.
Notices of suspicion, which are precursors to potential charges, are being prepared, said Oleksandr Klymenko, the head of the special anti-corruption prosecutors office.
“We put an end to the operation of a scheme in which its prime and participants sought to impact many decisions in the judiciary sphere,” Klymenko said.
Allies have urged Ukraine to move forward with reforms in exchange for financial support and stronger ties. Zelenskiy wants to start talks by the end of the year on joining the EU, but Ukraine first needs to fulfill several requirements, mostly related to tackling corruption.
Ukraine was ranked 116th out of 180 countries globally in Transparency International’s Global Corruption Perception Index last year alongside Algeria and El Salvador.
–With assistance from Daryna Krasnolutska and Stephanie Baker.
(Updates with detention of Supreme Court chief from first paragraph.)
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