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Ukraine’s anti-corruption authorities announced that former Supreme Court Chairman Vsevolod Knyazev has reached a plea agreement with investigators in a high-profile bribery case linked to businessman Kostiantyn Zhevago.
Under the agreement, Knyazev will receive a five-year prison sentence, forfeit a range of assets including a house and apartment, and surrender more than $200,000 along with an additional $1.248 million identified as proceeds of bribery.
The deal also requires Knyazev to provide testimony against other senior officials allegedly involved in the scheme. According to Ukraine’s Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor’s Office and National Anti-Corruption Bureau, he fully admitted guilt and agreed to cooperate with investigators.
Authorities said that $1.104 million of the confiscated funds will be transferred to the charitable foundation Come Back Alive, which supports Ukraine’s defense efforts.
The High Anti-Corruption Court found Knyazev guilty under Article 368, Part 4 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which concerns accepting a bribe by a public official.
Knyazev was arrested in May 2023 in one of the country’s largest judicial corruption scandals. Investigators alleged that he, together with notary Kyrylo Horburov and lawyer Oleh Horetskyi, organized a scheme to receive $2.7 million in exchange for favorable court rulings. Evidence obtained through cooperation agreements later led to charges against several other Supreme Court judges and a retired judge, while investigators believe additional former judges may also have been involved.
