Ukraine anti-graft authorities expose large-scale corruption in Supreme Court 

This was reported by the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU).

According to a message, “the NABU (National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine) and SAPO (Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office) have uncovered a large-scale corruption scheme in the Supreme Court involving the leadership and judges of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Ongoing urgent investigative actions are currently taking place, with more details to be provided later.”

Censor.net, citing NABU sources, reported that it applies to Vsevolod Knyazev, the head of the Supreme Court, for allegedly accepting a $3 million bribe.

As of 11:30 p.m., searches were being conducted in 18 courts of the Supreme Court of Ukraine, according to reports from various media outlets and Telegram channels. People's deputy Oleksiy Honcharenko also mentioned this development.

An extraordinary meeting of the Plenum of the Supreme Court has been scheduled for May 16, where the judges of the Supreme Court will be summoned. Dmytro Luspenyk, the Secretary of the Plenum, announced this on the Supreme Court's Facebook page.

"In light of the events surrounding Chairman V.S. Knyazev of the Supreme Court, an extraordinary meeting of the Plenum of the Supreme Court will be held on May 16, 2023. The exact time will be announced separately," read a post published around midnight.

For reference: Vsevolod Knyazev was born in Mykolaiv and holds degrees from the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding and the National University “Odesa Law Academy”. He obtained his law license in 2001, which was suspended in 2013. Knyazev has worked as a legal consultant, a teacher at the Admiral Makarov National University of Shipbuilding, and a lawyer.

He started his career as a judge in the Mykolaiv District Administrative Court in 2013 and eventually became its head in 2015. Knyazev currently serves as a judge in the Cassation Administrative Court of the Supreme Court, established following the 2016 reform.

On December 12, 2017, he was elected secretary of the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court. On October 22, 2021, during a plenary session, Knyazev was elected as the new head of the Supreme Court through a secret ballot, receiving 98 votes from his colleagues. He assumed the position of head of the Supreme Court on December 1, 2021.