Konstantin Zhevago will remain in France: the court refused to extradite him to Ukraine
30 October 12:18
The Court of Appeal of Paris has refused to extradite Ukrainian businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago, as insisted by the NABU and the SAPO.
This was reported by the press service of Konstantin Zhevago, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to Zhevago’s representatives, the French court disagreed with the arguments of the Ukrainian side that Zhevago could be guaranteed the right to a fair and impartial trial in Ukraine.
The request for Zhevago’s extradition was initiated by the Prosecutor General’s Office and the NABU as part of a criminal proceeding in which Zhevago is suspected of bribing the Chief Justice and judges of the Supreme Court.
The businessman’s lawyers had previously claimed “numerous procedural violations” by the NABU and the SAPO in this case. In particular, according to the defense, the investigation was conducted without the participation of the suspect.
Zhevago himself is convinced that the criminal case against him “has nothing to do with justice”. He called on the NABU and the SAPO to “finally hear the position of international courts.”
The case of Konstantin Zhevago
In May 2023, the SAPO and NABU reported exposing “large-scale corruption” in the Supreme Court. Law enforcement officers served Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniazev and his lawyer accomplice with suspicions of taking a bribe.
According to the investigation, a lawyer’s association acted as an intermediary between the leadership of the Supreme Court and people who wanted to “resolve the issue” in court. Investigators recorded a number of contacts between one of the owners of this association and the owner of the Finance and Credit financial group.
In particular, the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court considered a case regarding the ownership of 40.19% of shares in Ferrexpo, a Poltava-based mining and processing plant. In its decision on April 19, the body retained the shares in question to companies related to Zhevago. The businessman himself denied that he was involved in bribing the Supreme Court president or judges.
In July 2024, the High Anti-Corruption Court took Zhevago into custody in absentia. Prior to that, the French Supreme Court refused to extradite the businessman to Ukraine, although in a different case – money laundering and embezzlement related to the Finance and Credit bank.
