The case concerns the rent of a 4-room apartment in Kyiv for 1000 UAH per month. After this, the VRP decision must make a separate final decision on the release of Knyazev. Until Knyazev is fired, he continues to receive a salary.
Vsevolod Knyazev
The Supreme Council dismissed the former chairman of the Supreme Court Vsevolod Knyazev from the post of judge, the Anti-Corruption Center reports.
The High Council of Justice upheld the decision of the First Disciplinary Chamber, which submitted a proposal for the dismissal of judge Vsevolod Knyazev.
10 members of the GRP voted for this decision.
The case concerns the rental of a 4-room apartment in Kyiv for 1,000 UAH per month. Earlier, the courts found Knyazev guilty of violating restrictions on receiving gifts.
Knyazev, who returned from vacation, said that in fact there were two rental agreements for the apartment. Supposedly, there was also an agreement for a cost of 1,100 dollars per month.
“I can swear on my children that there was an agreement for 1,100 dollars,” Knyazev told members of the VRP.
At the same time, the court had already investigated this version of events earlier and found that it did not correspond to reality.
In particular, Knyazev attached to his first explanations to the NAPC a copy of the agreement, which included the amount of 1,000 UAH and in no way made a reservation about any other lease agreement in the amount of 1,100 dollars.
After this decision The GRP must make a separate final decision on Knyazev's release. Until Knyazev is fired, he continues to receive a salary. For 2023, Knyazev received UAH 3.3 million, although he did not administer justice for more than six months.
Knyazev’s bribery case is already being considered by the VAKS. The PSA has another complaint regarding Knyazev, which concerns a corruption case, but its consideration, as the Anti-Corruption Center notes, is being delayed by a member of the PSA, Burlakov.
Knyazev’s case
- On May 15, 2023, while receiving the second tranche of a bribe in the amount of $450 thousand (the total amount was almost $3 million), Knyazev and lawyer Goretsky were exposed “in the heat of the moment” “. On May 16, NABU and SAPO informed both of them about suspicion.
- ZN.UA reported that the ex-clerk of the Supreme Court received money from people who advocated a court decision in favor of the oligarch Konstantin Zhevago. We are talking about a case regarding the ownership of 40.19% of the shares of the Poltava Mining and Processing Plant (PGOC) Ferrexpo, which was considered by the Grand Chamber of the Supreme Court. NABU and SAPO established that the businessman-owner of the Finance and Credit group had contacts with one of the lawyers of the law firm, which was used as a “backoffice” to disguise criminal activities in the Supreme Court. The lawyer acted as an intermediary in the transfer of illegal remuneration to the leadership of the Supreme Court for making a court decision in the interests of the businessman.
- At first, the HACS chose a preventive measure for Knyazev in the form of detention with the alternative of posting 107.360 million hryvnia bail. Subsequently, the amount was reduced to UAH 75 million, then to UAH 55 million. At the end of September, the HACS Appeals Chamber left the former Knyazev in pre-trial detention, but again reduced the bail amount to UAH 45 million. Then Knyazev’s stay in the pre-trial detention center was extended with a bail amount of UAH 35 million.
- At the end of January, Knyazev was released on bail in the amount of UAH 18.1 million. On March 28, the ex-chairman of the Supreme Court had his duties extended until the end of May.
- In October last year, the Supreme Court approved a plea agreement between the SAPO prosecutor and the lawyer exposed together with Knyazev. According to the agreement, about 50 million UAH will be transferred to the needs of the Armed Forces of Ukraine: 21 million – the money that the lawyer undertook to provide, ~29 million – funds seized during the investigation.
