Detained on suspicion of accepting a bribe Ukrainian Chairman of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Kniazev, Prosecutor of the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) Oleksandr Omelchenko told journalists on Tuesday.
Content will continue after the ad
Advertising
Omelchenko said that another person, whose name he refused to reveal, was detained in connection with this case.
“This is the biggest case of all time,” in which a judge is involved, said NABU director Semens Krivonos, adding that the office received information about “the activity of a criminal group involving (..) the leadership of the judicial branch.”
Corruption campaigners claim that billionaire Konstantin Zhevago offered a bribe to court officials through a law firm.
Ževago allegedly transferred 2.7 million dollars (2.5 million euros) to the law firm, of which 1.8 million were intended for payments to Supreme Court judges, and 900,000 to lawyers for intermediary services.
Zhevago had hoped to lobby the judges for a ruling that would allow him to retain control of a mining company whose ownership the billionaire is in dispute with its former shareholders.
Zhevago is one of the richest people in Ukraine and a former member of the Verkhovna Rada.
He is currently staying in France, and Ukraine has requested Zhevago’s extradition.
The billionaire was arrested in France already in December on suspicion of money laundering and embezzlement.
#president #Supreme #Court #detained #Ukraine #suspicion #bribery
2023-05-16 16:48:50