New suspicion in the case of the former head of the Supreme Court: an accomplice in the bribery scheme has been found
4 September 2025 20:03
The Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office (SAPO), under the procedural guidance of the Deputy Prosecutor General, has served a notice of suspicion to the Supreme Court leadership of a new participant in a high-profile case of unlawful benefit, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
Who is the suspect?
According to the investigation, it is a person who acted as an intermediary in a scheme to transfer money from a businessman – the owner of the Finance and Credit group – to the judges of the Supreme Court.
The actions of the suspect are qualified under Part 5 of Art. 27 and Part 4 of Art. 369 of the Criminal Code (aiding and abetting in giving an unlawful benefit to an official).
The bribery scheme
- In 2002, a businessman acquired a 40.19% stake in a large mining and processing plant.
- In 2020, the former shareholders tried to recover the assets through the courts. The commercial court refused, but in 2022, an appeal sided with them.
- In order not to lose his shares, in early March 2023, the businessman agreed with lawyers who had “established contacts” in the Supreme Court.
- In March-April 2023, he transferred USD 2.7 million to the lawyer through intermediaries.
- of this amount, $1.8 million was intended for Supreme Court judges,
- the rest – as a “commission” to lawyers and intermediaries.
- on April 19, 2023, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the businessman.
- On May 15, the NABU and the SAPO exposed the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court and a lawyer while receiving the second tranche of USD 450 thousand.
The investigation is ongoing
The SAPO clarified that the pre-trial investigation is still ongoing. All those involved in the scheme are being identified.
The prosecutor’s office reminded that according to Article 62 of the Constitution of Ukraine, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty in court.
What is known about the scandal around the Supreme Court
The scandal around the Supreme Court erupted in May 2023 after the detention of the then Chief Justice Vsevolod Kniazev. He is suspected of receiving a multimillion-dollar bribe for making a decision in a corporate dispute. This became the largest corruption scandal in the history of the Ukrainian judiciary and led to Knyazev’s early dismissal from office.
Since then, the NABU and the SAPO have served a number of new suspicions on lawyers, mediators and judges. The investigation is ongoing, and the case has become a symbol of the need for a deep judicial reform in Ukraine.
